Commentary: It's more than just the price.

"First, Medicare seems to have done better than private insurers at constraining prices, and furthermore, other proposals addressing distortions in the Medicare fee schedule seem more promising.

Second, looking at individual physician fees ignores what it actually takes to deliver care and will make impossible the competitive strategies Dowd and Laugesen propose.

Third, adding some competitive features to health care may be helpful, but not necessarily in the realms they suggest."