Debate previews: What to watch for in style and substance on health care questions

News outlets predict that health issues -- including GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's plan for pre-existing condition coverage -- will play a role in tonight's debate.  

Politico Pro: Obama's And Romney's Unfinished Business On Health Care
Tuesday night's debate will be President Barack Obama's chance to give Mitt Romney the grilling on health care that his own campaign wishes he had given two weeks ago. But it's also Romney's chance to get in some more hits against "Obamacare"… It's safe to assume Obama is already planning to hammer Romney on his claim that his health care plan would cover pre-existing conditions. ... The Obama camp says covering people who already have coverage isn't a satisfactory answer for all those people with pre-existing conditions who don't have coverage and can't get it. … Conservative analysts say ... that this would be a good time for [Romney] to spell out, or at least hint at, what else he'd do besides protecting people who have continuous coverage (Nather, 10/16).

Los Angeles Times: In Second Presidential Debate, Style Is Likely To Trump Facts
Obama wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, protect his sweeping healthcare bill passed in 2010 ... Romney opposes the tax hikes for the wealthy, wants to repeal "Obamacare," as he calls it ... But the Brookings Institution's Darrell West said the way the candidates behave may be more important to undecided voters and to those still open to changing their minds (Barabak, 10/15).

The Washington Post: First 2 Debates Reveal 2 Campaigns, Stripped To Core Arguments
This meeting may have a different tone from their first -; Obama, in particular, is under pressure to be more aggressive. But both candidates seem likely to return to the same basic sales pitch. … Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), have focused largely on their policy agenda, which was dominated by things they wanted to roll back -; the health-care law, the Dodd-Frank financial regulations, income-tax rates. The Democrats tend to cast the election less as a choice between ideas and more as a choice between people (Fahrenthold, 10/15).