The biggest issue in the 2008 election will not be Iraq, and will not even be Immigration. Healthcare insurance coverage trumps as the biggest issue in the 2008 Presidential election, this leave a large opportunity for Republicans to offer a new direction and different solution than the Democrats’ “the government will pay for it” solution.

So far the Democrats have dominated this issue. This is simply because it is another issue where the Democrats can offer a bribe to get votes: vote for the Democrat and you will get free healthcare. The Republicans have pretty much mumbled something about a problem and empathized with those that do not have coverage but have not offered any real alternative solutions. The Democrats have created an issue Insurance Coverage, defined a problem Poor Coverage and created a solution Hillary-Care. That is, there are 40 million people without heath insurance coverage; the only solution is to have the government give those people free healthcare (if this is not buying votes, then I am a liberal democrat).

If the problem as defined by the democrats is coverage, however, the solution is cost. 40 million people in America do not have healthcare because of the rising and unbearable cost. MOst of the people that do have healthcare obtain it through their employer. A large majority of uninsured people are 20-somethings that typically do not need pills or frequent visits to a healthcare provider.

Address the cost of heathcare and you address the coverage issue.

Presidential candidate John McCain addressed the issue a couple weeks ago:

“Democratic presidential candidates are not telling you these truths. They offer their usual default position: If the government would only pay for insurance everything would be fine. They promise universal coverage, whatever its cost, and the massive tax increases, mandates and government regulation that it imposes,” McCain said. “I offer a genuinely conservative vision for health care reform, which preserves the most essential value of American lives — freedom.” source

Senator McCain’s plan, although lacking in detail, calls for the right solution – the Senator wants to lower the cost by affecting the market. Specifically by promoting open-healthcare markets and removing the tax bias towards employer-based coverage.

These are two solutions within the provice of the Federal Government that warrant serious attention. For once the cost of healthcare and its corresponding insurance costs drop, a natural effect is an increase in coverage. John McCain offers a good solution, if not a talking point that presents an alternative to Hillary-Care. Additionally, depending upon the press, this issue could be the rebound issue for the McCain campaign.