If you are interested in digging into the details of the candidates' health care initiatives, we recommend that you go to their websites and well, dig.  If you want  a quick overview, we'll try to help you a bit with this posting.  We've taken the liberty of doing some sifting and come up with a couple of videos that give some insight into the candidates' positions on health care, health insurance, health savings account, wellness and so forth. 

The McCain video was taken from a Kaiser Family Foundation interview, and the Obama Video appears to have been produced by the Obama campaign.  What we have tried to do is to identify key concepts put forward by the candidates in the videos and believe they provide some sense of the candidates' thinking as well as their priorities.

Key Concepts of the McCain plan outlined in the video:

Choice, Accountability, Personal Responsibility, Cost Control, Affordability Creates Availability, Transparency, Tax Credit, Health Savings Accounts, Faith in the American People to Make Decisions, Open Borders for Prescription Drugs, Cooperation with Private Industry, Leveraging the Efficiencies of the Private Sector, Education, Awareness

Key Concepts of the Obama plan outlined in the video:

Affordability, Government Subsidized Healthcare for Those Who Can't Afford It, Coverage For Every American, Lower Premiums, Similar to Insurance Offered Federal Employees, High Standards, Portable Insurance, Reform, Reduced Costs to Businesses through Government Absorbing the Most Expensive Illnesses, Focus on Prevention, Improved Quality, Reduced Waste through Information Technology, Break "stranglehold" of Big Pharma, Overcome Broken Policies, no Discrimination

And now for some editorial…….The healthcare hairball is tremendously complex and politically unappealing.  Therefore, building consensus and taking action will make it extremely difficult for Congress to endorse sweeping changes.  But perhaps more importantly, the general state of the economy combined with the security of our nation may be where the bulk of our new President's political capital may get spent come January of next year.  If you are waiting on the Healthcare Messiah it may be a longer wait than you'd like.   In the meantime use the tools like HDHPs and HSAs to take control of you own health care.   You may turn purple holding your breath for Uncle Sam on this one.