The Only Thing We Have To Fear...

Paul Krugman had another excellent editorial in the paper this morning. His point? The only thing stopping universal health care is fear.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/opinion/21krugman.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1190403219-3hLE+mhfpp0BLDi+B51WYA

Think about it: We fear the unknown. How often are the actual specifics of universal coverage discussed and described? On the flip side, how often are the specters of "federalized medicine" and "socialized medicine" raised, without either explaining why that would be a bad thing, or how, for example, S-CHIP constitutes socialism?

If people are kept in the dark about the honest costs, benefits, and ramifications of universal health coverage, then it's much easier to convince them to be against it.

One example are the objections raised on the grounds of consumer choice, claiming that with universal health care, patients would lose the ability to choose their doctor. However, not only is that not true--which people do not realize--but it also callously overlooks the fact that people without health insurance truly do not get to choose a doctor, because they do not get a doctor at all.

The single, most important step in this struggle is education, pure and simple.