The argument between Republicans and Democrats concerning the healthcare system goes on in the U.S.

While representatives of the Democratic Party Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama plead for an universal health care for all Americans, Republican John McCain alleges that a switch from an insurance coverage undertaken by employers to one based on an open market system would be more advantageous for anybody.

"There is no question there are fundamental, Grand Canyon-like differences on health care between the two parties. But it's an open question whether it will be a hot issue in the campaign," he said.

"I now believe the biggest obstacle to health care reform is this ideological divide -- is there any way to bridge these differences?" said Drew Altman, president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health policy group, as quoted by Reuters.

Surveys have somehow summed up what was actually the difference between the two plans. Democrats are focused on giving anybody the chance to benefit of health care, whilst Republicans think it’s more important to reduce the costs of medical services. 

Trying to find out which of the two visions is really the best for the U.S. citizens as regards proficiency and convenience of the costs, Debra J. Saunders, reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, asked Senator Tom Coburn (obstetrician and family medicine physician) for an opinion. The answer contains the conclusion that both alternatives are to be considered, but despite the fact that the marketplace has its flaws, it has more coverage and provides more guarantees than a system based on fixed laws, as San Francisco Chronicle reports.

On the other hand, Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change thinks the Democratic angle of view is more likely to reach people’s preference. Indeed, three-quarters of Americans are satisfied with the present way they get their insurance, namely through their employers.

"I don't think McCain's plan goes to the heart of people's concerns. It does not address the basic insecurities of not having coverage or not having enough money to pay your bills," said Susan Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, as quoted by Reuters.