In the middle of an article discussing how quickly France is spending out its stimulus money, the NYT tells readers that: "indeed, without major changes in government policies, France faces costs that will probably be crippling in the long run." It is not clear that any country can ever go decades without major changes in government policy. Accordng to most official projections, it is certainly true that if the United States does not use government policy to reform its health care system it will face costs that will be crippling in the long run.
--Dean Baker
