Health care debate - the 2 "framing" questions....

Regarding the health care debate: the first major question is whether anyone is entitled to publicly paid health care (as opposed to being able to buy insurance, or to have an employer provide it). The second major question is whether everyone is entitled to equal health care: that is, should the wealthy be prohibited from buying something that others can't afford. The answers to those questions frame the debate.

If there is an obligation to provide some minimum health care package to everyone (in practice we do that with emergency rooms), then that is probably affordable; if we insist on equality for all, or set the minimum coverage standards too high, then that's probably not affordable at anything like present rates. That means rationing of public health care benefits.