The Democrats: Passing the 2010 federal health care law was one of Obama's central priorities during his first term, but it hasn't yielded much political benefit.
The most important provision, which would make it easier and cheaper for people to buy coverage, isn't slated to kick in until 2014.
The
Congressional Budget Office estimates that 94% of Americans will eventually gain insurance under the law. (Part of the price: Earners above $250,000 will also face extra
Medicare taxes.) That's assuming the law sticks around after this election -- and survives an upcoming challenge in the Supreme Court.
The Republicans: You hardly need us to tell you that
repealing "Obamacare" is one of the top applause lines for the Republican contenders.
So what would they do instead? Both Gingrich and Romney -- who signed a bill similar to the federal health care law in 2006 when he was governor of Massachusetts -- say that instead of a national plan to expand health care coverage, they'd look to states to lead the way.
Republicans also support bigger tax breaks to help people buy their own health insurance (instead of via an employer) and expanding health savings accounts to encourage people to save in advance for their care.
Where you stand: MONEY readers are split down the middle on health reform: About half want the new law to go, while the rest would keep it or expand it. Whatever happens, the issue is likely to stay top of mind for voters in the coming years.
Asked which financial issues worried them most, almost half of readers said
paying for health care was either their biggest or their second-biggest worry. That's more than listed taxes (28%) or the value of their home (22%).
The only bigger concern was retirement, which 68% of MONEY readers put at the top of their anxiety list.
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