The Politics of Dependency

This WSJ article describes the ongoing struggles France is experiencing in its 64th year of "Universal Healthcare". Throughout all of the point-counterpoint in the article outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the French and U.S. healthcare systems, this line gives me the most pause in context of the intense healthcare debate raging here today:

France faces a major obstacle to its reforms: French people consider access to health care a societal right, and any effort to cut coverage can lead to a big fight.

I don't think there is a such thing as a 'good addiction'.