Experts: On the Barber's Travails.

Mark V. Pauly is Professor of Health Care Management and Professor of Insurance and Risk Management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School

"Employment based health insurance has a (sometimes literally) fatal flaw: it provides no protection for continuous coverage at reasonable premiums for people who leave employment and then contract a high risk condition.

This story is a classic case: Marty had coverage through his wife's job, but that coverage disappeared when she quit to have a baby. In contrast, had Marty bought his own coverage in the individual health insurance market, the insurer would have been required to continue covering him as long as he paid his premiums, and would be prohibited (especially in New Jersey) from raising his premiums because he got sick.

Employment based coverage gets tax breaks, and it is generally administratively cheaper than individual coverage (depending on the size of the employment group) but you trade off those advantage against the never ending threat of twin disasters-lose your job and get sick, in any order-destroying your life. Both candidates have plans to prevent this from happening.

You might also note that most people who are uninsured are not chronically ill, and have the money they would have spent on premiums to use for other things (pickup trucks, for example), while other people with the same incomes do make the sacrifice to take and keep the lousy job that at least carries health insurance. That does not seem fair, or good."

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Dr. Devon Herrick is a health economist and Senior Fellow for the National Center for Policy Analysis, whose goal is to solve problems by developing and promoting market-driven solutions.

"After they lost health coverage through Mrs. Grassia's work, Marty Grassia undoubtedly found out what many New Jersey residents have discovered -- that New Jersey has one of the most highly regulated, expensive health insurance markets in the country.

Had Marty maintained continuous coverage, he would have access to an affordable, guaranteed issue policy in most states. But New Jersey has stringent regulations that drive up the cost of individual insurance to double or triple the national average.

Undoubtedly, many couples have had to make such devastatingly hard choices - forgo New Jersey's costly health coverage and hope they don't get sick. Had Marty lived in Pennsylvania, his family would have had the option of purchasing much less expensive insurance.

Consider that the Grassias were in their mid 20's when they lost coverage. A similar couple with a young child could get individual coverage for as little as $111 per month in Philadelphia (with a $10,000 deductible). A monthly premium of $158 would cut that deductible in half, and paying a $206 premium drops the deductible to $3,000. Any of these health plans could have helped protect the Grassias from such catastrophic financial problems. But these low-cost policies are not available in New Jersey due to over-regulation that consumer groups are now campaigning hard to change.

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Statement from the Obama Campaign:

The Obama Biden health care plan ensures affordable, accessible health insurance coverage for all Americans no matter their employment status.

Mr. Grassia would receive tax credits to be able to purchase health insurance. The husband and wife would both be able to buy health insurance through a National Health Insurance Exchange and a new public plan, and they would likely receive tax subsidies to ensure the insurance is affordable. Their children would also be covered either through SCHIP or the other health insurance options purchased by their parents – all children will be insured under the Obama-Biden plan.

The coverage offered by the Obama-Biden National Health Insurance Exchange and the new national pool will also be fully portable – so individuals and children will never be forced to have gaps in insurance coverage, such as when workers in the family switch jobs.

The family will be able to retain any health insurance coverage obtained by the National Health Insurance Exchange, and if the family decides to utilize the new employer's health insurance, they can seamlessly transition to that plan and avoid any gaps in coverage.

Under the Obama-Biden plan, people like the husband will never have to worry about being denied coverage by health insurance for pre-existing conditions because the Obama-Biden plan will ban that insurance company discrimination for all health care plans.

The Obama-Biden plan will retain the employer-based health care system that exists today, while providing new health care options to this family and others who like many Americans experience periods of having and lacking alternative health care options. The Obama-Biden plan will also reduce the typical family's medical costs by up to $2,500 per year as reforms are phased in.

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The McCain campaign did not respond by deadline.