Thursday, February 14, 2008

Best. Blog. Name. Ever.

Ezra Klein's got a great post up over at Momma Said Wonk You Out about why health insurers suck (his words, not mine). Not that I disagree with the sentiment. Definitely worth a read, especially if you are thinking of voting Democratic this year.

My biggest complaint so far about getting care has been the way in which buying into a plan is in no way friendly to consumers. Market pressures that force cell phone companies to explain what plan you are buying and how much it will cost do not seem to have impacted health insurers. Klein's explanation for why the market has failed when it comes to health makes a lot of sense.

From a policy perspective, Klein seems to favor Hillarycare over Obama's plan. As an Obama supporter, that bums me out. But his criticism seems legitimate. Obama really does seem to dislike mandates, but it's difficult to see how the system can be reformed without them. I'd love to hear a detailed criticism of mandates, but for the time being I'm content to trust Klein's judgment on this one. He is definitely a wonk, and health care policy is his area of expertise. I'll be interested to see whether Obama actually moves left on this one after he becomes president, or whether his resistance to Hillarycare is genuine.

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