>"The government currently does not regulate individual/employer coverage."
Are you sure about that? Last I checked, the feds mandate an immense number of details about how private insurance is provided, and that is only growing with the new health care law.
>"I would not characterize the entire private insurance industry as an "employer-provided insurance ghetto" - what does that even mean?"
1 of every 2 dollars spent in health care in the US is spent by the government. These three programs are clearly the 800 pound gorillas in the room. Medicare's price controls directly drive shortages and oversupply, and its billing practices set the standard for the rest of the industry.
Are you sure about that? Last I checked, the feds mandate an immense number of details about how private insurance is provided, and that is only growing with the new health care law.
>"I would not characterize the entire private insurance industry as an "employer-provided insurance ghetto" - what does that even mean?"
1 of every 2 dollars spent in health care in the US is spent by the government. These three programs are clearly the 800 pound gorillas in the room. Medicare's price controls directly drive shortages and oversupply, and its billing practices set the standard for the rest of the industry.