The last thing the Trump administration should wish to do is make the U.S. role in mediation itself a high-profile, contentious issue that impedes a settlement and heightens already serious regional tensions. Diplomatic creativity combined with caution needs to be Washington's guiding principle.

The economics of preexisting conditions is complex. An even bigger challenge is that any reporter who wants to get it right will run into a buzzsaw of health policy wonks, reporters, and editors who will disagree with whatever they write.