We’ve spent the last decade seriously debating healthcare reform in this country. But somehow, even after a decade of debate, we are still treating the symptoms and not the disease, like a doctor treating lung cancer as a bad cough.

Beneath all the chatter about insurance markets, premiums, coverage, and copays is a simple truth: extending the line that separates life and death is a costly venture. The main reason why we spend so much on health insurance is that healthcare costs so much.