Health Care on the Campaign Trail

The NYT's Paul Krugman and I often haven't seen eye to eye. In general, I've tended to think he was an old fart. Well, I should clarify, he's something of an economic conservative. But his analysis of McCain and Obama's health plans are spot on and just go to show that what Biden was saying in the VP debate was on the money.

Without the tax break (that employers currently get when they offer employees heatlh insurance), many employers would drop their current health plans. Several recent nonpartisan studies estimate that under the McCain plan around 20 million Americans currently covered by their employers would lose their health insurance.

But the people gaining insurance would be those who need it least: relatively healthy Americans with high incomes....Meanwhile, the people losing insurance would be those who need it most: lower-income workers who wouldn’t be able to afford individual insurance even with the tax credit, and Americans with health problems whom insurance companies won’t cover.

In short, the McCain plan makes no sense at all, unless you have faith that the magic of the marketplace can solve all problems.

It seems pretty common-sensical that it doesn't take much in the way of necessary health care to break an uninsured person. I have had to forgo the appropriate medical care due to an inability to pay for it as a student. I can't imagine facing a catastrophic illness and having the current coverage I have. All the more reason to graduate and get on with it. I can't afford to be underinsured and get older.