Also, even nonpartisan industry analysts note that his plan may not solve the systemic problems generated by uninsured Americans of all ages: "Millions of children qualify for coverage through S-CHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program), but parents don't always buy coverage for their children. Some can't afford it, while others have no idea it exists. Voluntary programs always leave people behind, even when they include subsidies like those in Obama's plan. In fact, the Urban Institute notes that no study has ever shown better than a two-thirds rate of participation in a voluntary program. This means Obama's plan would leave about 15 million people without coverage, at least. This is an improvement over the 47 million without insurance now, but public health care costs could still stay high. Those 15 million would still need health care in case of an emergency -- yes, that means visiting the local emergency room. Who pays for that? If they can't afford the visit, then the rest of us pay it in subsidies through higher taxes" (Sage 2008). Also, if people opt out voluntarily and do not pay into the system, there simply may not be enough money to sustain the national health insurance plan for the uninsured, much less fund the other aspects of the Obama plan. Conclusion

Obama's plan has many laudable strengths and lofty goals, like increased funding...

However, rival Clinton's method of requiring everyone to pay into the plan to defray costs, and its more explicit policy of affordability, by promising to limit insurance costs as a percentage of family income, seems more feasible. So does Clinton's allowance for more money to fund subsidies. This suggests that Obama may wish to reconsider some details of his proposal, should he win the nomination, which seems likely (Krugman 2008).
Works Cited

Holahan, John & Allison Cook. (2005). "Supplemental data." Health Affairs. Published by the Urban Institute. Excerpt at the Health Care Blog. Retrieved 27 May 2088 at http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2005/11/policy_the_unis_1.html

Krugman, Paul. (4 Feb 2008). "Clinton, Obama, insurance." The New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2008 at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Obama, Barack. (2008). "Change we can believe in: Health care coverage for all."

Retrieved 27 May 2088 at http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/#coverage-for-all

Sage, Bobbie. (2008). "Barack Obama's health care plan." About.com. Retrieved 27 May 2088 at http://personalinsure.about.com/od/health/a/aa012908a.htm