Since Elizabeth Edwards called attention to John McCain’s health plans which would exclude coverage for pre-existing conditions, I have wondered what this means for people with a psychiatric disorder. Will parents hesitate to get help for their children with anxiety or eating disorders for fear of having to later forgo insurance coverage? Do teens who needed life saving therapy after a suicide attempt have to worry that they are signing away later treatment, perhaps in their 20s or 30s? What about the vet who is treated for PTSD early after discharge, but has recurring symptoms one, two or 10 years later? Or the man or woman with an addictive disorder who relapses? How many more ways can we parse the nation's most valuable asset, the health of its citizens?

Paul Krugman’s column in the New York Timeson Friday called McCain’s health care proposals “voodoo economics.” They’re also voodoo policy.