The Intellectual Vapidity of the Left On Healthcare

The Washington Post's Steven Pearlstein quite rightly advocates that the President walk away from a "public option" requirement in his healthcare proposal. Pearlstein writes:

"Liberals have a point when they argue that the price competition in our private markets is something less than robust.

Because consumers don't pay out of pocket for much of their health care, they don't shop around for bargains the way they do for cars or toilet paper. Nor it is clear that people would flock to the heart surgeon in town who advertises bargain-basement rates."

Which got me thinking "hey, here's a liberal who gets it. Here's a liberal who is now going to come forward and advocate for true market reforms that would ENCOURAGE competition." I was very excited. And then very disappointed:

"That's not to say there aren't other things we could do -- many fixes are already included in bills before Congress. These include the government-sponsored health-care exchanges that would bring national insurance companies to nearly every market in the country and proposals to begin paying doctors and hospitals for the quality of the health care they provide rather than the quantity. There is also a provision requiring that companies participating in the new insurance exchanges use no more than 15 cents of each premium dollar for administrative costs and profits."

So there it is--a liberal view of steps toward market reforms as a way of creating price competition. Except, WHERE IS THE MARKET REFORM? Where is any suggestion that small businesses should be able to pool? Where is the suggestion that health plans should be able to cross state lines? Where is the suggestion that the favored tax status of employer provided plans be ended as a way of empowering individuals in the market? All we get is a menu of government-driven regulation and requirements for an industry already SWIMMING in regulation.