Reining in health-care costs

Reining in health-care costs

New York Times: President Barack Obama told health insurers on June 22 not to use health care reform as an excuse to raise the cost of premiums. The warning is timely. With critics still scare-mongering about the supposed cost of reform, insurers in several states have been seeking double-digit premium increases that look hard to justify as necessary to keep up with medical inflation.

The president acknowledged that there are a lot of factors driving up the cost of care.

Even so, it will be important to monitor insurance rate increases carefully. And the Obama administration must be prepared to push hard. Unfortunately, the reform law did not give the federal government the power to regulate premiums.