LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — A recent survey conducted by a medical news service for clinicians found that clinicians favor Dem. Presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama and believe that Democrats have the cure for what ails the United States healthcare system.

In the MedPage Today survey, 58 percent of respondents chose Obama. Meanwhile, rival Republican Sen. John McCain drew 35 percent of the vote out of a total cohort of 2,728 voters. Four percent were undecided, and 3 percent chose “other.”

A doctor of osteopathic medicine was quoted as saying, “Reform is certainly needed to eliminate the highly selected pools of coverage and try to get back to a system where our high-risk patients are put back into a general pool. I think our system has enough checks built into the bureaucracy and the legislative branch that, irrespective of Barack’s views on U.S.policy, he will be constrained in what he can do.”

Some respondents also cited a concern about McCain’s health. “Did you hear John’s labored breathing between sentences?” a physician said. “Since presidential health is always concealed from voters until well after their demise, I maintain a strong index of suspicion that at this moment, McCain is quite unwell and that we have been told nothing of his deterioration.”

While clinicians favor Obama, some comments did reveal a level of discomfort with the Democratic nominee’s policies.

“If you want to see how government healthcare will look, take a look at the VA. Do we want our healthcare to consist of eight to nine hour waits?  I do feel that the socialistic push by Obama will create an ever larger out-of-control government,” a registered nurse told reporters.

The results of the MedPage survey stand somewhat in contrast to an online poll of Drug Store News readers, 62 percent of whom said they thought a John McCain presidency would have a more positive impact on retail pharmacy and/or their own businesses.