SCENARIOS - Economic challenges facing the next U.S. president

Nov 4 (Reuters) - Whether Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain wins the White House on Tuesday, the next U.S. president will face a host of acute economic problems on a scale not seen since the 1930s.

Below is a handful of some of those challenges and the different ways Obama, an Illinois senator, and McCain, an Arizona senator, would likely address them:

FINANCIAL CRISIS

The U.S. financial crisis is the worst since the Great Depression. Economists say the country is in a recession that may get worse by the time the next president takes office in January.

Obama advocates a second stimulus package to jump-start the economy. Valued at $175 billion, the plan would include funding for infrastructure and another round of rebate checks.

McCain advocates a $300 billion housing plan that would use some of the funds from the recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout package to buy up troubled mortgages as the best way to bring the economy "out of the ditch."

HEALTH CARE