WHINE

I keep hearing that many employers are dropping their health insurance and many others are raising the deductibles. Also judging from people I know that when people buy their own insurance they opt for high deductibles. So aren't these likely to slow the rise in medical spending lessening the problem?

I do not think employers would have take on health insurance if it was 17% of the economy when they started down this road. Spending 17% of the USA economy needs the attention of most all users with their individual cases and demands. Delegating it to employees when it was 4% of the economy made more sense.

Is all of this just a needed adjustment?

"Feckless would be one step better than counterproductive."

Well, he has to have his reforms price-control health insurance to keep its cost from going up as his reform reduces its price.

Obama is working hard at making Jimmy Carter look like Bismark in comparison, both in policy substance and at the polls (as Charlie Cook points out.)