Editor, The New York Times
620
To the Editor:
Paul Krugman argues that Blue Dog Democratic concerns about ObamaCare are incoherent (An Incoherent Truth [1], July 27). Far be it from me to defend any politicians from charges of incoherence or duplicity, but Mr. Krugman's own arguments for universal health-care are weak.
For example, he wants "all but the smallest businesses [to] be required either to provide their employees with insurance, or to pay fees that help cover the cost of subsidies - subsidies that would make insurance affordable for lower-income American families."
In the name of Hippocrates, that's far from clear. Employers forced to pay employees higher non-wage benefits will reduce employees' wages. With smaller paychecks, it's quite possible that lower-income Americans will find even subsidized insurance to be no more affordable than is today's unsubsidized coverage.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux