Mankiw: Not so simple

Health Reform: Simple or Not?

To Paul, the administration's health plan is simple and straightforward. To Keith, it is a nonstarter.

Why do these two smart commentators reach such opposite conclusions? The essence of the difference, I think, is that Paul is mainly concerned with universal coverage and is happy to put off discussion of the government budget constraint to another day, while Keith is focused on how the reforms will be paid for and, in particular, with the administration's claims that a major goal of health reform is to put the government on a more sustainable fiscal path.