McCain assails Democratic health-care approach

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

MIAMI (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain criticized his Democratic rivals on Monday for a "big government" approach to health care and said he would focus on reducing costs and increasing coverage.

McCain launched a week-long campaign swing on his health care plans with a visit to a Miami children's hospital and a talk with parents of ill children who have been forced to endure long struggles with care and costs.

"America can have a health care system that is characterized by better prevention, coordinated care, electronic health records, cutting-edge treatments -- and lower costs," McCain said.

He drew a contrast with the Democrats battling for the right to face him in November's presidential election -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

The debate on overhauling the U.S. health care system has been one of the campaign's top issues.

Both Democrats have set a goal of universal health care coverage for the 47 million Americans without health insurance. Clinton would mandate some form of coverage for all individuals, while Obama would only mandate coverage for children.

McCain's plan, released last year, does not include a mandate requiring coverage.

"That's the fundamental difference between myself and Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. They want the governments to make the decisions, I want the families to make the decisions," he told reporters.