Why Most of the Current Partisan Health-Care Discussion Is Silly: Remember: In Its Bones, ObamaCare Is Romneycare

As I understand it, back in 2009 Obama picked the road that leads to universal comprehensive health coverage that was as far right as possible–that paid as much attention and respect to Republican concerns (or, rather, to the expressed concerns of those Republicans who claimed to see universal comprehensive health coverage as a worthy goal). Thus the live questions should be:

• Is universal comprehensive health coverage a worthwhile goal?
• If not, what mechanism should pay for health care for the uninsured–or should they simply die in the gutter?
• Should we move our universal comprehensive health coverage system more to the left–i.e., shrink the role of insurance companies in it?
• How is that implementation going?

That is the conversation Washington should be having about health care financing and insurance. That is not the conversation that Washington is having.

Can we try to change that, please?

Bloomberg:

Jonathan Gruber, Economist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, discusses the Affordable Care Act and delves into criticisms to the law. He speaks on Bloomberg Television’s Bloomberg Surveillance.

Jon Gruber: Romneycare, Obamacare Basically The Same: