In the Economix column of today’s New York Times, David Leonhardt commits health policy heresy:

there is no question that the country would be better off if everyone were covered. But the gaps in insurance aren’t the only problem with the medical system. They are not even the biggest problem.

You’ll have to read the column to learn what Leonhardt thinks The Biggest Problem is. But he points out that the market is moving to fix that problem without government direction.

Personally, I’m not sure that a government mandate is necessary to get hospitals to report quality data. (Malpractice insurers, are you listening?) But Leonhardt documents well how the Invisible Hand works even in health care.