U.S. News and World Report released a poll this week that found that American perceptions of health insurance are closely tied to political affiliation.

As it's reported in their article, "68% of Republicans say they think our health care system is the best in the world while only 32% of Democrats and 40% of independents would make that claim."

The poll also found that nearly three quarters of Republicans believed that patients in the United States get better health insurance care and face shorter waiting times to see specialists or be admitted to a hospital than do their counterparts in Canada, France, or Great Britain. Meanwhile, less than half of Democrats and independents felt that way.

Although the United States spends more per capita on health care than other countries, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the United States ranked last among 19 industrialized countries in preventable deaths, or those that shouldn't occur when people get timely, effective care.

This explains why it is that health insurance has taken a premier role for democratic presidential hopefuls, while it occupies a less important role in the campaign speeches of Republican nominee John McCain.