Health care reform: universal access is feasible and necessary.

While other industrial nations' health care systems have their own problems, they have more leeway to address those problems than does the United States, which spends twice as much on per capita health care as the average for other industrial capitalist democracies yet ranks average or below average in many comparative measures of health care quality. In fact, the authors of this article argue that international experience shows that assurance of universal access through expanded government involvement could provide savings while actually improving the quality of U.S.

Options to liberalize Social Security disabled widow(er)s benefits.

Each month, 200,000 widows and 6,000 widowers receive Social Security disabled widow(er)s benefits, each benefit averaging about $550. Among the most economically at-risk Social Security beneficiaries, their benefits are permanently reduced. This paper reviews the legislative history of the disabled widow(er)s benefit, identifying key decisions that gave shape to this benefit.