One of the most distinctive characteristics of the presidential campaign this year is that both sides refuse to talk about specific policy plans. They call each other rotten tomato, they turn the opponents’ proposals into nice slogans, their own proposals the same, and that’s it. No debate whatsoever.

In order to break through that cycle, Senators Tom Coburn and Richard Burr wrote a column for Real Clear Politics in which they would defend McCain’s health care proposal. The column is an interesting read if for nothing else than because it deals with actual issues rather than smears.

“The McCain-Palin solution is based three core principles,” the two explained. “First, a person’s ability to afford health care should not depend on whether they work for an employer who offers health insurance. Second, wealthy Americans with expensive health plans do not deserve a bigger tax benefit than working class Americans. And finally, workers should be able to pick the health care plan that best meets their needs, and they should be able to take it with them when they change jobs.”

“Economists on the left and right agree that the status quo, which was set up in the 1940s, needs to change. The McCain-Palin solution would keep the employer deduction in place so employers would still have an incentive to sponsor health plans. They would provide a generous tax credit worth $2,500 for an individual and $5,000 for a family so all Americans could buy health insurance. Even the left-leaning Tax Policy Center has recognized that the change proposed by McCain-Palin will result in ‘a significant tax cut’ for middle-class families,” the two recall.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden responded to McCain’s plan by ridiculing it. It was supposed to be a plan that only benefits the rich, ‘Main Street’ would suffer once again.

The facts tell an entirely different story, however. The McCain plan may not be bulletproof, but it’s a considerable improvement over the system the United States currently has. Low income households would receive most benefit. “Individuals earning up to $63,700 and receiving a $12,000 health insurance policy through their employer would enjoy a net benefit of $3,200 while wealthy Americans earning nearly $350,000 would receive $800 in net benefits,” as the two wrote.

Both candidates have health care plans. Both plans have their strengths and weaknesses. Three weeks before the elections, it’s time for them to talk about their plans, and to debate them. Voters have the right to compare both plans and decide which one they prefer based on the facts, not on cheap slogans.