A very strong exploration of what universal healthcare could mean for medical innovation. Using a few choice examples, Cohn questions conventional wisdom about how medical breakthroughs happen. He could be accused of cherry picking examples and not providing a larger data-set, but he does qualify his conclusions.

wonderful analysis of the factors involved regarding universal health care and medical innovation. and that there doesn't have to be an either/or choice. well-written and compelling, using one individual's experience to illustrate with clarity. might have illustrated cost factors more and provided current examples from systems in other countries.

A convincing argument for universal health insurance and generous funding of medical research.

He presents the oppositions arguments okay, but then says 'the reality is more complex than they (the opposition) admit'. He then proceeds to present a very simplistic picture of why his approach is better. The "me too" drugs he despises are the source of profits that pay for the innovative drug trialss, many, many of which don't work at all. He then claims "we'll use advisory boards" to manage innovation, which is both corrupting and historically poor at recognizing major shifts in ways to approach treatment and curing of disease.