"Our health care system is badly broken," Kerry told nursing students at Pennsylvania's Edinboro University. "Today, regular checkups are emptying family checkbooks. Waiting for a doctor's bill is causing as much anxiety as waiting for a diagnosis. And cutting through endless red tape and paperwork is wasting millions that could be spent on better care."

The campaign offered statistics to back up his complaints: Total family premiums have risen more than $2,700 in four years, a rate Kerry said was four times faster than that for workers' earnings.

The average American family pays nearly $10,000 a year for a policy, his campaign said, more than those in any other country. U.S. employers have responded by slowing hiring and shifting work to part-time and temporary employees, according to the campaign.

"It's not acceptable to do nothing while families lose their savings, workers lose their jobs, and businesses close their doors because of the high cost of health care," Kerry said. "We need a president who knows our health care crisis isn't acceptable and who has a plan to fix it."

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