Here is a good article by Ezra Klein on two general schemes for healthcare reform.  It describes the plan of Jacob Hacker, who wrote the book The Road To Nowhere about the failed Clinton administration initiative, explains how it proposes to rein in costs while covering everybody and why it might not  work.  Obama's plan, and the plans of the other recent Democratic Presidential candidates, are based on this.  It similarly discusses the Wyden-Bennett plan, which has 6 Democrat and 6 Republican co-sponsors in the Senate.  Without some background like this article, the candidates' talking points and the press reports are incomprehensible--to me at least.