Krugman, Paul, and Robin Wells. “The health care crisis and what to do about it.” The New York Review of Books, March 23, 2006.

Summary: The continuing rise in the cost of health care in the United States is causing three crises: Employer-based health insurance is disappearing, as corporations cut costs by eliminating it or offering only weak and partial coverage. Medicaid is consuming more and more of the federal government's budget and is, therefore, under political attack. And the federal government is also running out of money to fund medical care.

Fortunately, we understand what to do about the problem: Establish a single-payer government-run system of universal health insurance, then introduce a government-run system of universal heath care. Unfortunately, neither of the major political parties is willing to face the facts, so this solution will not be adopted.