A US state is running a lottery to allocate  health insurance. 45 million Americans have no healthcare insurance and officials in Oregon say they have come up with a fair way of providing coverage for some of those who cannot afford it.

There are more than 90,000 people in Oregon  applying  for a maximum of 10,000 places in Oregon's  healthcare plan but There are some 600,000 people uninsured in Oregon.

Being unable to afford  medical treatment has become a function of the country's wider economic problems  and is an important campaign issue for presidential hopefuls. Oregon's Director of Human Services, Dr Bruce Goldberg, hopes national leaders will take note of his state's efforts but not copy them.

"I hope what they're working for is not a national lottery..." he says.

"I think it's an issue about how to use this as an example of what the problem is.

Applications are randomely selected by a computer.

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