As America struggles to extend health-care coverage while curbing health-care costs, we face a decision that ismore important than whether we have a public-insurance option, more important than whether we will have a single-payer system in the long run or a mixture of public and private insurance, as we do now.
When it comes to the very long term, health productivity isn't everything - but if the OBR is right, it may be more important than any other single factor in determining our long-term fiscal health.