Employer-based health insurance is "an institution in decline," and "the solution -- national health insurance, available to everyone -- is obvious," New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes in an opinion piece. According to Krugman, the U.S. spends more per capita on health care than Canada, Germany or Britain but has "lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than any of these countries." In addition, he writes, U.S. residents "find it harder than citizens of other advanced countries to see a doctor when we need one, and our system is more, not less, rife with medical errors." Residents of other nations "sometimes find it hard to get medical treatment," but "so do Americans" because "many ... can't count on ready access to high-quality medical care," Krugman writes. Overall, U.S. residents are "far more likely than others to forgo treatment because they can't afford it" because "we treat access to health care as a privilege rather than a right," he writes. "The economic and moral case for health care reform" in the U.S. is "overwhelming," Krugman writes, adding, "One of these days we'll realize that our semi-privatized system isn't just unfair, it's far less efficient than a straightforward system of guaranteed health insurance" (Krugman, New York Times, 11/7).

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