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At TheStreet.com, political correspondent John Fout questions the healthcare focus of democratic presidential hopefuls, suggesting that Medicare insurance isn't receiving the kind of attention it desperately needs.

Fout reminds us that "there's an immediate crisis in Medicare," with only 12 years before the trustees believe that the money will run out on Medicare insurance. Social security seems to be getting a lot more attention than it's healthcare counterpart, though Fount suggests that social security will be on steady footing for years to come.

But Medicare insurance has suffered tremendous blows due to rising healthcare costs, and the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act which made it impossible for the government to negotiate bulk-price discounts from drug makers. That, in conjunction with the aging of baby boomers, is putting a tremendous strain on the entire Medicare system.

Will they listen? Will something get done? Hopefully so – but 2008 is still a long time coming, and in the mean time it's best to stay as healthy as possible, and opt for a supplemental insurance plan that can fill in the gaps for Medicare plans that need a little boost.

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Though they are both Democrats, presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich each offered a very different health insurance plan this week at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington.

According to The New York Times, "Dennis Kucinich’s plan is by far more radical than that of Joseph Biden," mostly because he wants to shift the country from a privatized, for-profit health insurance plan to a single-payer, not-for-profit one controlled by the government (much like those offered in Europe).

Biden, on the other hand, outlined a less revolutionary system that would make the government responsible for catastrophic medical bills over $55,000 and would expand the SCHIP bill to cover every child in America. People over age 55 would be able to buy into Medicare as well. Overall, his plan is much like that offered by Hilary Clinton and John Edwards.

Will they work? There's no way to tell, but as the elections inch closer and closer, it's great to see candidates addressing the situations that have haunted our current health insurance plan. And until '08, it's still advisable that those searching for affordable insurance shop around online, and look into "cafeteria style" plans that allow consumers to choose which services they need the most.

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According to the Sheboygan Press, Wisconsin health insurance might soon be a health care model for other cities and states to follow.

The article states that "if all the numbers are right, the City of Sheboygan could get the best of two worlds with a new health insurance plan — saving taxpayers' money while allowing city employees a wider choice of health-care providers."

What do they know that other states haven't figured out yet? Employers are offering employees their choice of providers, and at lower costs this will hopefully drive a more effective health care system. Another big means is by focusing on preventative medicine. This could mean that those who purchase Wisconsin health insurance will be offered vouchers for being healthy, and incentives to quit smoking and lose weight.

And if it works out, and this plan saves taxpayers money and offers great Wisconsin health insurance coverage, perhaps this plan can serve as a blueprint for a better and less costly national health care plan.

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ABC News reported this week that "stunning" gaps in children's health care had been revealed by the Rand Corporation and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Such gaps have been directly linked not only to a lack in affordable family health insurance, but to poor care for those who do have private insurance.

Reportedly, when a random study analyzed the care that children receive for medical woes and checkups, "children received only 46.5% of recommended care measures overall."

This is bad enough, but it becomes much worse when you factor in the fact that these kids who participated in the study already had family health insurance to rely on. "Only families from metropolitan areas, families with phones and children who had actually received some medical care during the study period were eventually eligible to be enrolled." Had the poor and uninsured been considered, the results would be very, very bleak.

This is why it's so important for affordable family health insurance to be available to Americans. Parents need to be able to protect the health of their children, and they also need to stay healthy themselves so they can take good care of their kids.