If private health insurance worked, we wouldn't need health reform

by Joe Paduda

Lost in the fight over health reform is a single, huge truth - if the private insurance market worked, there would be no need for reform.

We wouldn't be in this mess if private insurers were able to control cost inflation. And at the end of the day, that's what they are supposed to do. Sure they have lots of experience in underwriting and risk selection, and some have made some progress in some areas of disease management/mitigation, but UHC and Coventry and Wellpoint and HealthNet et al's 'experience' have not been able to consistently deliver lower health care costs.

I know there are lots of reasons/problems/complicating factors, but the stark reality is when it comes to controlling inflation, none of them have been able to.

Why not?
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