If you listen to enough media reports, you might conclude that government-run health care is the way to go. But the Hartford (Conn.) Current runs a short column with this amazing headline: More Health Insurers Competing in Individual Coverage Market.

The article says that companies are making new efforts to do business in more states: "Aetna sold individual plans in five states in 2005, but now offers them in 29, including Connecticut."

States could really make the market take off by dropping expensive benefit mandates, allowing people to purchase policies authorized in other states (not just their own), and providing tax equity between employer and non-employer plans.