This week's landslide success for Barack Obama as the democratic presidential hopeful in South Carolina also brought to light the importance of affordable health insurance to the public today.

As it's reported at the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, exit polls found that an estimated 25% of Americans cited health care as their number one most important issue for upcoming elections.

Everyone knows that the current health care system isn't working, but the real divisions arise in terms of how to make affordable health insurance available to all. Clinton and Edwards favor a universal health care system, while Obama does not. Republican candidates tend to favor tax breaks for those who purchase coverage, while some, like McCain, urge for shifts in the insurance market that would make prices more competitive.

Regardless of who wins the primaries, or even the presidency, everyone is hoping for more affordable health insurance in the future. Especially the 47 million uninsured Americans, and the millions of under-insured who are one illness or accident away from financial disaster, and medical debt.