Will "Free-Market" Reform Rein In Free-Wheeling Insurance Companies?

When I was in Washington last week, I visited my Senator Johnny Isakson's office to talk with his legislative assistant, Tyler Thompson, about free-wheeling insurance companies that refuse to sell an individual health insurance policy to my son, Chris, who has Type I Diabetes. I wanted to know what legislative solutions Senator Isakson has for Chris and for people like my daughter, Caitlin, who has epilepsy. She can buy a policy, but it costs a fortune and excludes her illness and her expensive medications.

Mr. Thompson told me that Senator Isakson believes in "free market" solutions. There are too many "constructs" inhibiting competition among insurers, he said. Once these "constructs" are removed, insurers will want to compete for my children's business. I asked him: "What "constructs" do you mean?" His answer was that he didn't know, so he couldn't tell me.

I went home to the Bandwagon to ponder why insurers would want to compete for customers who are chronically ill when that clearly would be a bad thing for their bottom line. Isn't lack of regulation the problem, not the solution? Is this an honest economic debate, or a poorly contrived theory to cloak the wanton protection of insurance company profits?

I'd like to believe that my senator wants to serve his constituents, but honestly, I just can't see it. Mr. Thompson made it clear to me that health care reform was a matter of politics, and insurance companies had a seat at the table. The not-so-thinly-veiled message was: "Insurance companies are powerful, and your family is not. Go home and wait on free market reforms."

Sorry, Senator Isakson. I'm not buying this talk about free market reforms. There are millions of people who walk in our family's shoes, and my bet is that they don't buy it either.