For voters in search of a candidate who will consistently defend individual rights, free markets, and advocate minimal government, there is no excitement in the choice of Senator John McCain or Barack Obama for president of the United States. As some cultural commentators have shown, the two candidates are nearly indistinguishable in terms of their fundamentals beliefs and guiding principles.¹ Both believe that it is proper for the government to regulate the voluntary actions of its citizens, to engineer society according to certain environmental and cultural "values," and to confiscate whatever property it needs whenever it needs to in order to carry out these goals.

Naturally, the traditional media places at them opposite ends of the increasingly meaningless left-right political spectrum, despite their fundamental similarities. For starters, McCain and Obama differ not over whether to regulate entire industries but how; they differ not over whether to increase taxes but where the income-level breakpoints should be.

And on it goes for most issues, with the possible exception of one issue: healthcare reform.

On the topic of healthcare, McCain and Obama are actually more different than they are alike—at least in rhetoric. Obama believes that healthcare is a birth right, and is willing to mandate employer-based coverage, increase insurance regulation, establish a standard minimum benefits package, and subsidize coverage for protected political groups to ensure this "right."² Yes, it is Obama—allegedly the candidate for change in this election—who advocates more of the same programs and interventionist policies that have assailed us every twenty years or so, reaching back to the 1940s (employer-based coverage), 1960s (Medicare/Medicaid), and 1980s (DRGs and CONs).

McCain, on the other hand, at least says he will consider reforms that would not violate individual rights. In the September/October issue of Contingencies, an actuarial journal published by the American Academy of Actuaries, McCain even uses the "F" word—freedom.³:

"I offer a genuinely American vision for health care reform that preserves the most essential value of our lives—freedom."

In fact, he uses it several times in the article:

"We believe in the pursuit of personal, political, and economic freedom for everyone. My vision expects and encourages free people to voluntarily unite, but they cannot be compelled to do so under the principles of limited government that best protect our individual freedom."

Some of this rhetoric is supported with pro-market plans, such as his pledge to replace the employer-based tax credit for healthcare expenditures with a personal tax credit, and his pledge to open up the insurance market for cross-state competition. Would these changes be positive? Yes. Will these changes ever be more than promises? Given McCain's inability to diagnose the correct ailment (government), voters can only speculate.⁴

McCain is substantially better than Obama on healthcare, but healthcare is but one of many important issues. A good idea here or there on healthcare is something to consider—especially if you or a loved one are reaching an age where you will be relying more on the availability and quality of such services—but it is by no means the only criterion to consider. Ultimately, it is up to each voter to decide what the most important issues are, and either vote or abstain accordingly.

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¹ Biddle, Craig. "McBama vs. America" The Objective Standard 3:3 (Fall 2008)

² Second televised debate between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain; Commission on Presidential Debates, October 7 2008. During the debate, Sen. Obama said "I believe that health care is a right for every American."

³ McCain, J. "Better Care at Lower Cost for Every American" Contingencies Sep/Oct 2008, 29-31

⁴ Like many individuals in both parties, McCain identifies the fundamental problem of the U.S. healthcare system as "high costs," as if high costs are a cause rather than an effect. The high cost of healthcare is one of the most obvious symptoms that something is wrong in healthcare, but it is not the root cause.

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