Mark Binker reminds us of an important distinction.

In a story in the Greensboro News-Record, Binker quotes UNC-Chapel Hill health policy professor Thomas Ricketts on the difference between "universal coverage" and "universal care."

"Talking about universal coverage is one thing, and talking about government-run health care is another," Ricketts said. Government-run health care, like that offered in Canada, is seen by many conservative politicians and voters as undesirable because it eliminates choices and puts medical care in the hands of the government.

In debates, however, government-run health care (or socialized medicine) and universal coverage are often conflated by candidates arguing against the expansion of government insurance programs.

Neither of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates have called for universal care, though both have offered slightly different plans for increasing coverage. The Republicans have called for a "market-based approach" and decried government-run health care.

We'll see if the candidates make that distinction tonight.