McCain's Health Insurance Reform Plan To Lower Uninsured By 21Mil

Previously, we posted an article saying that John McCain's proposal would cover only 2 million Americans. These numbers were reported by the Commonwealth Fund, which is more liberal leaning.

A report by the Lewin Group is competing with the Commonwealth Fund's report. It is showing that 21 million Americans would be knocked off the uninsured list by 2019, says the Los Angeles Times and Associated Press.

McCain's plan would hit the 21 million figure by the fact of 24 million people using the tax credit McCain wants the government to provide. This tax credit is intended to help American's buy their own individual health plans on the private market. It is thought that about 16 million workers will lose their group health insurance from their employers. the report was under the impression that new companies would step up and offer health insurance for the first time, offsetting at least some of the 16 million who might lose their coverage.

There are skeptics of the plan who say that the Lewin Group is not accounting for the folks who would be denied private coverage due to pre existing conditions. The Lewin Group says that that have accounted for that number in their report. John Sheils, vice president for the group says, "The people who are sick are going to have a lot of trouble affording coverage, even with the credit."

Americans between the ages of 19 to 34 make up about half of the uninsured. That same group are the ones that McCain will use to make up the largest number of people losing coverage from employers. The report is proving interesting, although numbers are possible being inflated.