Health Care BS

By affixing his seal of approval on the ridiculous Edwards health care plan, Krugman continues the project of undermining his own credibility as an economist. If a Republican had produced the identical document, he would have rightly denounced it as a semi-coherent hodgepodge of conflicting objectives.

Indeed, he has criticized California’s universal health care scheme for containing features that he praises in the Edwards plan. For example, in a January piece for the NYT, he suggested that the Schwarzenegger plan was too “intrusive” because it forces insurance companies “to sell insurance to everyone at the same price.” When discussing the identical proposal in the Edwards plan, however, he has no objection to it.

Health care reform is an important issue that deserves a vigorous and honest airing in the public square. It’s unfortunate that Paul Krugman has no intention of making a serious contribution to the debate.