Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama says he believes “every American has the right to affordable health care.” He would allow all Americans to enroll in a new public plan, similar to the program members of Congress currently get their health care.  And if someone cannot afford this insurance, it will be subsidized, he said at a campaign event.

Obama would create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help people find approved private health insurance plans or enroll in the public plan, according to the campaign Web site.

However, during the presidential debates Obama noted that under his plan people would have the option of keeping their health insurance policies exactly they way they are if they choose.

Obama supports requiring large employers to offer “meaningful” coverage or otherwise be taxed to supplement his proposed national insurance program, according to a Reuters report.

He said during the presidential debates that he'd work with employers who are providing insurance and get them to lower premiums.  He's given numbers ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 a year as cost savings to families in premiums from emphasizing prevention and streamlining medical information technology during campaign rallies.

Unlike his opponent, John McCain, Obama has said that he would mandate health insurance for children, but not adults.

Obama’s campaign estimates his health-care plan will cost between $50 billion and $65 billion a year, and he proposes paying for this by increasing taxes on individuals making more than $250,000 a year.

The candidate would require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions at fair and stable premiums, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Like his opponent, John McCain, Obama supports electronic health records to boost efficiency, but he also supports investing federal money into moving the country to this standard.

Both candidates also support re-importing drugs from foreign countries, according to a Reuters report.