McCain health plan and that high-risk pool

New York Times, July 9, 2008

Republican presidential cadndidate John McCain has announced that if elected president he would seek to insure some people by vastly expanding federal support for state high-risk pools like Maryland's, or by creating a structure modeled after them. But even well-regarded pools have served more as a stopgap than a solution. Though high-risk pools have existed for three decades, they cover only 207,000 people, according to the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans. Premiums typically are high, but are still not nearly enough to pay claims. That has left states to cover about 40% of the cost.