Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton health care economist, was the big dog during my years in health care reform. He was witty, informative, and everywhere.
Reinhardt's no longer everywhere. It must be hard to be seen when another economist from Princeton, the Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, is everywhere and constantly making sense on health care reform. But Reinhardt is still witty and full of insight as this column reveals, comparing health care reform in the U.S. and the war in Afghanistan.
No, it's not just the annual costs that are similar; it is far more than that. It is the attempt by the U.S. government to somehow wade in and control a nation full of bristling, protective, and corrupt tribal chieftains fighting to protect and expand their turf, tribal chieftains who maintain their home base in the nation's capital. And so on. It's a wonderful column.
I got this reference from Brad Wright's blog, Wright on Health, which has become one of the best on the web. Be sure and read it every day. You will learn a lot.
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