A 50% cut in health insurance premiums would only reduce the number of uninsured Americans by 3%, estimates a Rand study out Monday, which suggests that incentives and government tax cuts won't lead to universal coverage...

The study comes amid heightened debate about ways to cover the approximately 45 million uninsured. Ideas on how to fix the problem cross the political spectrum, from loosening regulation of the industry to mandating a government-overseen health system.

The study, published online Monday in the journal Health Services Research, says cost is just one obstacle to health coverage, with many uninsured citing other barriers, such as the hassle factor of buying insurance, the desire to spend money on other things or a belief that coverage is not necessary...

Len Nichols, an economist at the centrist New America Foundation who was not involved with the Rand study, says there are generally two broad types of uninsured: those who don't think they'll get sick and the low-income.

"If you believe you are immortal, you'd have to make the price darn near zero (to get them to buy); and if you are poor, you have to make the price darn near zero," Nichols says. "The humane thing to do is have subsidies for the low-income, and they'll buy, and then mandate coverage for the immortals..."

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