Michael Barone writes about the explosion of people claiming disability and the government saying OK to their claims — 8.6 million in 2011. Barone references a book by his American Enterprise Institute colleague Nicholas Eberstadt.

One reason is that the government seems to have gotten more openhanded with those claiming vague ailments. Eberstadt points out that in 1960, only one-fifth of disability benefits went to those with “mood disorders” and “muscoskeletal” problems. In 2011, nearly half of those on disability voiced such complaints.

“It is exceptionally difficult — for all practical purposes, impossible,” writes Eberstadt, “for a medical professional to disprove a patient’s claim that he or she is suffering from sad feelings or back pain.”

In other words, many people are gaming or defrauding the system. This includes not only disability recipients but health care professionals, lawyers and others who run ads promising to get you disability benefits.