Prof. Paul Krugman, Disinformationist-in-Chief of U.S. health care, gives Sen. Obama lukewarm praise, and Gov. Schwarzenegger something to think about....

Professor Krugman, the NY Times' resident advocate of government-monopoly health care, is clapping with one hand about Senator Obama's health care "plan" ("Obama in Second Place", June 4).  I figure it's too early in the campaign to take any candidate's "plan", but advocates of individualized health care can take heart that Prof. Krugman will be giving us "reverse indicators" throughout the campaign (i.e. if Prof. Krugman likes it, we know it's bad).

Sen. Obama wants a tax increase to "cover the uninsured", which Prof. Krugman favors.  But wait a minute, doesn't the good professor continuously harp on the (erroneous) notion that government-run health care costs less than private health care?  If that's the case, shouldn't a Big Government plan cost less, not more?  Prof. Krugman also parrots the "conventional wisdom" that the uninsured delay necesssary medical care and crowd emergency rooms - a notion unsupported by evidence, although it makes for good copy.

However, Prof. Krugman attacks Sen. Obama's lack of a "mandate" to compel everyone to get health insurance, which he prefers to voluntary insurance.  Why? "If private insurers couldn't or wouldn't cut costs enough, the system would evolve into Medicare for all, which is actually the best solution."

So, Prof. Krugman understands that mandatory private insurance, as offered by former Gov. Romney in Massachussets and Gov. Schwarzenegger in California, will lead to lack of competition and frustration, paving the way for government monopoly health care.

I never thought I'd say this, but Republican politicians who seek to lead on health care should read Paul Krugman - and be warned.