Krugman on Health and the US Government

Lucky you: I'm feeding you Krugman twice in a week. But until this health care madness is resolved, it's a necessity -- think of it as medicine.

So here’s the bottom line: if you currently have decent health insurance, thank the government. It’s true that if you’re young and healthy, with nothing in your medical history that could possibly have raised red flags with corporate accountants, you might have been able to get insurance without government intervention. But time and chance happen to us all, and the only reason you have a reasonable prospect of still having insurance coverage when you need it is the large role the government already plays.