PrintMarch 11, 2012
Politics in Command
The bitterness and animosity that have developed around the issue of mandated insurance coverage of birth control is just the first fruit of what looks to be a long and divisive and totally unnecessary national struggle over health and medicine and lifestyle. This is what happens when you try to "universalize" something -- in this case, health care. It's easy to foresee arguments over in vitro, coverage for smokers and the obese, drug counseling, and various wellness activities, with each of these arguments dividing us more and more. It's ironic: in America, the "universal" produces only universal acrimony.
Why is that? Because America is not Sweden. Sweden is a small country -- it has only 9 million people, smaller than the metropolis I live in. Sweden is ethnically un-diverse -- 92% of its population is Swedes, Finns, and Lapps. In such a country, you can make decisions about the "universal" -- because everyone in Sweden has a lot in...(Read Full Article)
