Debate by anecdote

When it comes to the health care debate it seems that politicians often begin by citing some particularly tragic case, often times involving a family bankrupted by medical costs to obtain life-saving care. This is usually employed by those that seek to move the U.S. towards a government-provided universal health care model. Such anecdotes, however, can be employed by both sides as this story illustrates.

I'm all for having a debate about health care in this country. There is no doubt that severe flaws exist in the current system and that reforms are needed. But please, let's dispense with any notion that socialized medicine enjoys a monopoly on compassion or that those who advocate its implementation do so from a higher moral plane.