WASHINGTON - October 30 - Despite healthcare spending almost doubling that of other industrialized nations, the United States has a system that needs change, according to Dr. Don McCanne of Physicians for a National Health Policy. Ranked 37^th amongst other countries, the health care system will be in the hands of the next President.  

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has proposed a $5,000 tax credit for citizens to buy their own insurance. Democratic candidate Barack Obama however, plans to lower employer-based plan premiums and subsidize plans for those without one. Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, says neither candidate's ideas will fix the system which currently sees 47 million uninsured Americans.  

"McCain's plan will make things even worse than they are now," she said. "He would push for acceleration of the privatization of the US medicare system by handing money over to private interest companies."  

Woolhandler says that McCain has lied, stating that one can buy a family policy in the US for just over US$5,000, while she pits the price at closer to US$12,000. Citing historic attempts at securing universal healthcare in the US, Woolhandler notes the problems with Obama's plan. 

"Obama's plan will not fix the system," she said. "It will not get us universal health care, so we sometimes call it the 'wish it would work' plan." 

However, according to McCanne, the government must get involved in healthcare. Bush recently nationalized banks and the question remains as to whether hospitals will face the same fate.

"Every other nation has shown the government has to be involved in healthcare," he said. "That's why they have better systems at significantly lower costs than ours."