Excerpt: Ultimately the comprehensive versus less comprehensive insurance question frames a fundamental tradeoff that is almost never stated clearly in public debate, perhaps because it is regarded as too stark for the public to digest. Do we want and can we afford to provide subsidies to make more expensive comprehensive coverage, from preventive to catastrophic care with more modest out-of-pocket costs, affordable for people who are already struggling from the burden of health care costs? Or should government subsidies and tax policies encourage less comprehensive and somewhat cheaper insurance with higher deductibles, higher out-of-pocket costs for routine care and back-end catastrophic protection?  MORE >>