Castlight Compares Health-Care Costs

A reader asks:

"We WIN," some insurance industry insider crowed to Ben Smith. "Administered by private insurance companies. No government funding. No government insurance competitor.” Similarly but oppositely, a few anxious e-mailers have written to ask whether Medicare buy-in isn't just a gift to the insurance industry, freeing them from having to insure older, sicker people. Well, so what if it is?

Dollar for dollar, health budgets achieve more in Quebec and Ontario than anywhere else in the country, while Newfoundland obtains relatively poor value for its medical spending, concludes a new think-tank report that pits province against province in health care performance. The ranking to be released Tuesday by the Fraser Institute compares the availability and quality of health services in the various jurisdictions with their costs, reaching a conclusion that may surprise some politicians: Spending more does not necessarily mean a better system.

This begins a series of posts about the recently adopted health care reform, a subject I have not discussed on this blog so far.  I will not be ranting about how wise or stupid the bill is.  If you want to hear me rant, buy me a martini.  As long you keep buying, I'll keep ranting.  Instead, I want to cover the effects that businesses will face.