If people truly want to know the scoop on health plan proposals made both by Obama and McCain, all they need to do is read “the Journal.”

Once again, the WSJ has nailed it.

This time, the tag line to the story reads (correctly):  Obama supports huge tax subsidies for the wealthy.

What’s funny is, he doesn’t even seem to realize it.

At the core of McCain’s plan is the idea that a 40 year old concept is outdated.  By inticing employers to buy health insurance through the use of tax breaks, the government is providing a huge disincentive — the opposite of responsibility.

It’s the McCain plan, not Obama’s, that actually is progressive.

As the article states:

For reasons of historical accident and lobbying clout, individuals who buy policies get no tax benefits and pay with after-tax dollars. Mr. McCain is proposing to make the tax benefits available to everyone, regardless of how they purchase their insurance.

In contrast, Obama doesn’t want workers to have a choice in their health care.  He claims that McCain’s plan

would amount to “taxing your health-care benefits for the first time in history,” which is a wild distortion. His point seems to be that because companies wouldn’t have to pay for health care, they could raise wages and thus taxes would also increase for workers on those higher incomes. But doesn’t Mr. Obama want higher wages?

Why this discussion is not getting more air underneath its wings is beyond me.  Unfortunately, the candidates are happy to discuss their plans at a highly superficial level, which leaves the rest of us out in the dark.

So do yourself a favor — read the article from the Times and pass it on to others.

Here is the link to the WSJ article.