Those of us who oppose Obamacare's "public option" insurance plan may be advocating the wrong reasons for doing so, says columnist Robert Samuelson in the Washington Post. While pointing up some of the obvious drawbacks, the real downer for the public option is that those who believe in its stated benefits - or posit dire consequences from its passage - are looking at a mirage:The promise of the public plan is a mirage. Its political brilliance is to use free-market rhetoric (more "choice" and "competition") to expand government power. But why would a plan tied to Medicare control health spending, when Medicare hasn't? From 1970 to 2007, Medicare spending per beneficiary rose 9.2 percent annually compared to the 10.4 percent of private insurers -- and the small difference partly reflects cost shifting. Congress periodically improves Medicare benefits, and there's a limit to how much squeezing reimbursement rates can check costs. Doctors and hospitals...(Read Full Post)