The Los Angeles Times reports on a new program set up by Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner that will issue report cards on 6 large insurers (who have voluntarily signed up) that offer PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations).

Well, ok.....but I'm skeptical. Remember when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published prices for the 30 most commonly executed procedures that Medicare paid for in hospitals?  That was May 2006.  If you go to the CMS website today, after 10 to 15 minutes of digging you'll find an Excel spreadsheet with the CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) codes listed, as well as prices. I can't exactly see my grandmother navigating that!

Patients interviewed by the LA Times expressed frustration with the status quo. Audra Platz of Los Angeles "has repeatedly been unable to find out whether the plan covers certain medical care such as dermatology and other consultations". I've experienced similar frustrations myself, but insurers' lack of responsiveness is not caused by the lack of a government website that ranks them. It's caused by the fact that if I'm fed up with my health plan, I can't just switch plans, I have to switch my job (which I'd never do because I love the think-tank world)!

So, let's quite nibbling at the edges of this problem and address the real health insurance challenge: reforming the tax code to free every American to buy health insurance of his own choice.