THE ROAD TO RATIONING.

The authors reflect on the public policy debate in the U.S. involving University of California political science professor Jacob S. Hacker's idea on a new government-run plan, modeled after Medicare, as an option for health insurance. An overview of Hacker's "Medicare Plus" 2001 paper proposal is offered. The authors argue that the proposal will lead to health care run by an expensive, inefficient, and innovation-killing government bureaucracy. They suggest expanding access to affordable private health insurance over government bureaucracy.