Coming Soon: Health Care Debate, Part 2

THE skirmishing between the Democratic presidential candidates over the mechanics of universal health coverage will soon give way to a quite different general-election debate — about whether universal coverage should even be a national priority.

Len M. Nichols, director of health policy for the New America Foundation, and a supporter of a health insurance mandate, said the ledger also must account for the economic and social costs of the deaths, disabilities and bankruptcies attributable to lack of insurance. “The right question is: would coverage expansion add enough social and economic value to merit the investment?” he said. “The literature suggests a resounding yes.”