Barack Obama launched an attack on John McCain’s health care plan Saturday and focused its criticism mainly on the Arizona Senator’s proposal to tax health care benefits and the dangerous effects it would trigger. Obama plans to attack McCain’s proposal via four new television ads, four separate mailers, radio commercials and several other events.

The main idea underlined in Obama’s new ads and commercials revolves around the fact that McCain’s health care plan would be a dramatic change for the current system, probably too dramatic. McCain plans to tax the health benefits people receive from their employees as income. Considering the fact that 156 million Americans will be affected by this change, Obama may be right.

However, McCain also plans to complete that change with tax credits that would help people pay their health insurance. More precisely, individuals will get $2,500 and families will be provided with $5,000. The sums will be paid directly to the insurance company of their choice.

Obama’s latest ads to attack McCain will focus on the fact that the Arizona senator intentionally doesn’t mention the fact that, under his health care proposal, people will have to pay taxes on their health benefits (that would be a first, no question about it) and this measure will raise costs for employers.

“You won't find one word about it on his Web site, but the McCain tax could cost you thousands or even your health care. Can you afford it?" sounds one of Obama’s ads.

That’s true. McCain’s Web site doesn’t mention those aspects of his health care plan. But Obama’s ads also fail to point out something - the McCain’s tax credit would be more generous that the current tax break.

According to a recent study carried out by health care economists, about 20 million people to lose their employer-sponsored insurance if McCain implements his health care plan, but 21 million people would gain coverage through the individual market.