There are perverse effects in the market which make health care more expensive than it needs to be, and there are advantages to universal coverage. Atul Gawande

There are perverse effects in the market which make health care more expensive than it needs to be, and there are advantages to universal coverage. Atul Gawande's piece on McAllen, Texas is recommended every time this subject comes up, as well it should be. It is also enlightening to read up on and understand the major moving parts of the recent health care reform bill - namely, 1) the universal mandate/subsidies, 2) coverage requirement and pricing reform, and 3) health insurance exchanges. Each has a reason to exist, and it's hard to make it work without the others. Health care is not a widget. It is not a resource. It is a service, a service that directly affects the quality of life of your average citizen, that directly affects how well put together your work force is, that directly affects the likelihood that you or your business will be pushed around by something completely beyond your control. We are currently running that service extremely inefficiently.