Psssst, Don't Tell the Post, Fixing Health Care Saves Money

At a time when the unemployment rate is about to shoot past 8 percent, the Washington Post tells us that the deficit projections are "ugly" in the first sentence of a news article. Since budget deficits are the only tool available to fight mass unemployment, some might people might view these deficits, and in fact even larger deficits, as quite beautiful. More important than the choice of adjectives was the Post's assertion in the last paragraph that the deficit may make it more difficult for President Obama to follow through on his campaign promises, and specifically lists extending health care coverage. Of course Obama had always proposed extending coverage as part of a larger process of health care reform. The purpose of this reform was to get U.S. costs more in line with costs elsewhere in the world. If the reform succeeded then the government would be spending less on health care, not more.

--Dean Baker