Free-Lunch Health Insurance

Slate - A simple idea for insuring some of the poor. By Daniel Gross

I like the idea of simply expanding eligibility - but I'd like to see an analysis that would also take into account the effect of insuring more people, thereby providing them access to primary care on a much more cost-effective basis than emergency room visits and the like. I think society at large saves time and money when everyone (or as many people as possible) are cared for in the most appropriate way. By unclogging emergency rooms, we can cut costs for care providers and make sure that capacity is readily available in the event of a true emergency.