Whatever position one takes in the political battle over health care reform, all sides confront
the same stubborn fact: the US spends more than twice as much per capita on health care
as other developed countries do—and yet fails to provide health coverage for all of its
citizens. Broader coverage is a social good, but the debate quickly becomes mired in
matters of cost. At the current high levels of spending, can US society afford to cover
everyone? Meanwhile, estimates of excess or unnecessary costs in the US health-care …