Fixing American Health Care

I want to digress from our usual themes and suggest that you read a thought-provoking but thoroughly depressing article by Matthew Holt of The Health Care Blog called Why Is Fixing American Health Care So Difficult? His article is part of Prescription for Change, a weeklong series by ABC News and USA Today (separately).

I don’t share Mr. Holt’s implicit view that we should nationalize the health care system. However, I do like the way he highlights the important macro tradeoffs that will lock us into the current system for the foreseeable future.

On a lighter note, feel free to upload a video to ABC News if you have a solution that will “fix health care in America.” (Click the link -- this is a not a joke.)

The best solution will be chosen by Patrick Dempsey and Katharine Heigl from ABC’s hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The winner gets to be Mark McClellan’s permanent replacement as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (Bonus points if your DVD collection includes the "smart and sexy romantic comedy about the pharmaceutical industry" that starred Ms. Heigl.)