In fact, the constitution's interstate commerce clause lets people buy stuff across state lines UNLESS Congress passes a law allowing states to ban that — as it has stupidly done in an archaic insurance law supported by big and powerful health insurers that use regulation to crush cheaper and smaller competitors. (You can by groceries across state lines. Why not insurance?)

Repeal that stupid law, and people will be able to buy cheaper insurance. If any barriers remain, preempt the state laws that are obstacles using Congress's preemption powers under Article VI of the Constitution.

Congress has been preempting state laws that inhibit competition for decades. ERISA is a classic example.

But rather than building on this, Obama wants to gut ERISA, reducing choice and increasing costs in employer-sponsored health insurance.

For instance — the author suggests constitutional problems with the coop plan, yet to my knowledge there is nothing in our constitution that prohibits several states to agree to a regional regulatory plan. And in terms of constitutionality, regional approaches are much closer to the founding intent than a national plan.

It's always good to read someone who goes beyond the rhetoric of the day and has a sense of real consequences. Thank you for this very well reasoned perspective.