Yeah, the New York Times is on a real roll.

In an article on plans going through congress about fixing the US healthcare system, reporter Kevin Sack delivers this bon mot:

But critics argue that with low administrative costs and no need to produce profits, a public plan will start with an unfair pricing advantage. They say that if a public plan is allowed to pay doctors and hospitals at levels comparable to Medicare’s, which are substantially below commercial insurance rates, it could set premiums so low it would quickly consume the market.

(emphasis mine)

Ummm….Let me get this straight, the knock on a public option is that it will be too efficient?

The costs will be too low!!!! And the service will be too good!!!!

Horrors.

Dude, that’s the point. Private insurance has utterly failed!!!! Unless you have them compete against something better, they will stay crappy.

I have an idea, how about we start requiring PCB’s in tap water, because it unfairly competes with bottled water.