Paul Krugman: Insurance and Freedom

President Obama will soon release a new budget, and the commentary is already flowing fast and
furious. Progressives are angry (with good reason) over proposed cuts to Social Security;
conservatives are denouncing the call for more revenues. But it’s all Kabuki. Since House
Republicans will block anything Mr. Obama proposes, his budget is best seen not as policy but as
positioning, an attempt to gain praise from “centrist” pundits.

No, the real policy action at this point is in the states, where the question is, How many Americans
will be denied essential health care in the name of freedom?