( CNN ) -- A tax credit to help individuals and families buy health insurance is at the heart of a health care proposal Sen. John McCain unveiled Tuesday . The credits will spark greater competition among insurance providers and put `` individuals and families back in charge , '' the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said during a speech in Tampa , Florida . `` Millions of Americans would be making their own health care choices again , '' McCain said . `` Insurance companies could no longer take your business for granted , offering narrow plans with escalating costs . '' Under McCain 's heath care plan , individuals would be eligible for a $ 2,500 credit and families a $ 5,000 credit to help pay for health insurance if they do not subscribe to , or do not have access to , employer-provided health care coverage . The government would send the money directly to insurers . McCain 's plan would cost $ 3.6 trillion over 10 years , the campaign said . McCain would pay for the program by eliminating the tax break employers get for offering insurance . Doug Holtz-Eakin , a McCain senior policy adviser , said the tax credit would allow individuals to obtain health coverage `` tailored to the circumstances of your life '' rather than being forced to accept the insurance provided by an employer . Watch McCain reject universal coverage » . McCain also proposed that state governments set up a nonprofit Guaranteed Access Plan to provide coverage to individuals who are denied coverage from private insurers because of pre-existing conditions . McCain said he would work with Congress , governors and private industry to adequately fund the program . Watch McCain say he wants a system accessible to everyone » . Holtz-Eakin said McCain 's willingness to work with the states to create individual programs in each state shows he understands a `` better job does n't take the form of a one-size-fits-all plan formed in Washington . '' McCain argues that the increased competition will lower health care costs , which will allow more of the roughly 47 million Americans who are uninsured into the system . The Arizona Republican would also permit generic drugs to be imported from Canada to increase competition among pharmaceutical manufacturers . `` We know competition and choice drive down costs , '' said Carly Fiorina , a former Hewlett-Packard CEO who is advising the McCain campaign . Holtz-Eakin said the plan would also encourage insurers and health care providers to deliver better health and disease management as well as more preventive medicine such as anti-smoking programs , which he said would further reduce costs . Health providers would be paid for `` doing the right thing '' rather than being paid for every test and procedure , he said . In coordination with McCain 's speech , his campaign released a television ad that touts the plan . In the ad , which is airing in Iowa , McCain says , `` I can characterize my approach on health care by choice and competition , affordability and availability . ... The fundamental problem is not the quality of health care ; it 's the cost of health care . So , health care must be made affordable and available . '' Watch McCain call for putting families in control » . Critics of McCain 's plan said the tax credits would not put a significant dent into what a family must pay to buy health insurance on their own . The average cost of providing health care for a family of four annually is more than $ 12,000 , according to the Kaiser Family Foundation . For individuals with pre-existing conditions , the costs of obtaining insurance could even be higher , critics said . Critics also said encouraging individuals to buy health insurance could undermine the system of employee-based health insurance , with no guarantee a new system would emerge to replace it . Clinton picked up that argument while criticizing McCain , saying in a statement , `` John McCain is proposing a radical plan that would mean millions of Americans would lose their job-based coverage . '' `` So while people might have a 'choice ' of getting such coverage , employers would have no incentive to provide it , '' she said . Fiorina , however , said McCain 's plan would not undermine the employee-based health insurance system because employers would continue to offer health coverage to attract and keep quality employees . McCain 's free market approach to health care reform is very different from the proposals offered by the Democratic presidential candidates , Sens . Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton . Both of their proposals include more government mandates for health care coverage . Clinton would mandate that every individual have health care and would provide government subsidies to those who could not afford to purchase insurance on on their own . She would also allow individuals to join the private health care plans that are offered to members of Congress , and she would create a new public insurance program modeled after Medicare . Clinton also includes tax credits to individuals to help buy health insurance and would require large businesses to provide or help pay for health insurance for their employees . Watch McCain says he opposes mandates » . Clinton 's plan is estimated to cost $ 110 billion annually , which would be paid for by eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $ 250,000 and by eliminating waste and inefficiencies within the system . Unlike Clinton , Obama would not mandate that every individual have health care insurance , but he would require health insurance for children . As part of his plan , Obama would create a public insurance program for those not covered by private insurance and would also require large employers to help pay for their employees ' health coverage . Obama 's plan is estimated to cost between $ 50 billion and $ 65 billion and , like Clinton 's plan , would be paid for by eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those earning more than $ 250,000 a year . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Caleb Hellerman contributed to this report .
NEW : Sen. McCain says plan would mean four would lose job-based coverage . McCain proposes tax credits to help buy health insurance . Individuals would get $ up to $ 5,000 , families 2,500 , under Clinton 's plan . Tax credits would not significantly cover family 's health care costs , critics say .