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Obamacare and its precursors (Kennedycare, Hillarycare, Romneycare) were rooted in a liberal moral vision -- that no one in so wealthy a nation should be denied health care because they lack the means to buy it. Many Americans accept that premise. Republicans have all but ceded the argument; they just don't like the redistributive consequences of it. Rather than combat the morality of Obamacare head-on, conservative opponents typically divert their attacks to adjacent playing fields. (Francis Wilkinson, 2/10)

The Montana Legislature has the opportunity to do more good for our state at less cost than will be available for decades. All we need to do is accept funds to which our citizens are entitled through Medicaid expansion to establish a Montana-based, privately run health insurance program. As a 30-year investment professional, I find the business and financial benefits of expansion to be remarkable. Much attention has been focused on the 70,000 Montanans who would be provided healthcare coverage. Largely overlooked in the discussion is the fact that all Montanans will benefit through a stronger economy, substantial job creation, a more secure healthcare system, and a reduction in the costs we all pay to care for the uninsured. (Mark J. Semmens, 2/11)

My Kaiser Family Foundation colleagues Tricia Neuman and Juliette Cubanski recently published a finding, captured in the graphic above, that brings this question into focus. They showed that Medicare per capita spending increases steadily with age. It doesn’t flatten out as people move into their 80s or early 90s and, remarkably, it peaks at age 96. Per capita Medicare spending then declines gradually for the relatively small number of beneficiaries at even older ages. Most of the spending goes toward emergency-room visits, inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facilities, and home health care. (Drew Altman, 2/10)

The measles outbreak linked to Disneyland has heightened public debate about the effect of anti-vaccination sentiment, and what can be characterized as a luxury of choice in the United States. Understandably, much of the dialogue is focused on whether to vaccinate kids. It's critical to address these issues so we can dispel myths about immunization and reemphasize the important benefits of vaccines. But there is another conversation that we're not having, one that is equally important to making sure measles outbreaks don't happen in the United States: how to stop measles outside our borders. (Andrea Gay, 2/10)

E-cigs have been a godsend to people who wish to give up smoking or avoid taking up the habit in the first place. These devices involve no smoke, only a vapor, but give one the pleasure of nicotine without wrecking the lungs. ... But instead of being hailed as the most effective antismoking tool ever, e-cigs have been pilloried as the devil’s device to hook the unwary to tobacco and for posing hideous health threats to users. The latest example is a report entitled “A Community Health Threat” from the California Department of Public Health, which apocalyptically attacks e-cigs and calls for drastic action to curb their use. (Steve Forbes, 2/11)