Okay, that may be overly generous, but he is correct to point out that the health care bills before Congress will increase security while doing little to contain costs. Where Brooks misses the mark is that health care was already a huge drain on the economy (ever hear of General Motors or Chrysler?). Some aspects of this bill, such as prohibiting discrimination based on pre-existing conditions should make labor more mobile and allow the economy to work better. But the biggest error is imagining that the high cost of health care in the United States has anything to do with the market. The U.S. pays more than twice as much per person than other countries because of government protection for the health care industry. For example, government patent monopolies for prescription drugs raise drug prices by a factor of ten, adding close to $250 billion a year ($800 per person) to the country's health care bill. The protections that drive up prices are almost never discussed in policy debates because the beneficiaries are so powerful they can keep anyone from even considering challenging their government protection, even Mr. Brooks.
--Dean Baker
