WASHINGTON (AP):

John McCain's health-care plan would reduce the ranks of the roughly 45 million uninsured Americans by about 21.1 million people if fully implemented by 2010, while Barack Obama's would reduce the number by 26.6 million, a new analysis predicts.

Some previous reviews of the two presidential candidates' health plans indicated that Republican McCain's proposals would amount to little more than a wash when it comes to the number of uninsured in the United States.

The analysis released yesterday by The Lewin Group, a consulting firm, drew a more optimistic scenario about the overall number of people who would get health coverage under McCain's plan.

The cost for both candidates' plans are enormous. McCain's plan was projected to cost more than $2 trillion from 2010 through 2019. Democrat Obama's plan would cost $1.17 trillion. Neither candidate provides specifics on how to cover the costs, The Lewin Group said.