QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 7:41 P.M. ET:  From conservative Congressmen John Shadegg and Pete Hoekstra.  Conservatives have been accused, sometimes fairly, of not having ideas on health care.  But these two have written a very fine column, filled with ideas, for The Wall Street Journal, and well worth reading.  It contains this quote:

Government has caused the problems we face in health care. Our tax code incentivizes employer-provided health care, rewards health insurance companies by insulating them from accountability, and punishes those who lack employer-provided care.

Every night on television there are dozens of commercials from Geico, Progressive, Allstate and other companies offering us better auto insurance at lower costs. But there are virtually no commercials for health insurance. This is because the federal government protects health insurance companies from real competition. Insurers don't have to market to consumers. They only have to satisfy employers. In addition, a person living in New York, for example, is currently only permitted to purchase individual insurance in New York. Allowing competition across state lines would drive down cost tremendously.

We believe the solution to this problem is patient choice. What appears to be a free market in health care today is not. The health-care market is a stacked deck that favors insurance companies rather than patients.

COMMENT:  The Obama administration and its allies in Congress have done an abysmal job of shaping health-care "reform."  Conservatives must have an intelligent reply to have any credibility in the debate.  Just saying "no" is not good enough.  This column is a great start.

September 7, 2009