Health Care Needs a Real Free Market

America’s best shot for a new, better health care system lies in a strong health care exchange, argues Ezra Klein in the Washington Post. “Compared with the crazy-quilt system we have now, the idea is weirdly simple:” A single market where consumers can shop for plans and pick their favorite. You know, the way we buy everything else.

The US needs a strong, national exchange open to everyone, where competition can drive down prices, Klein writes. But instead it’ll probably wind up with weak state exchanges, open only to the unemployed, “sort of an outlet shopping model for health care, accessible only to the few who can get there.” Why? Because change is politically scary. “But it’s what Obama promised, and it’s what the system needs.” (More health care reform stories.)