But dissatisfied consumers have few options. Most employers offer employees very few health plans. Because consumers lack the option of leaving a health plan they dislike for one that better serves their needs, there is not a free market in health plans. Moreover, the notion of consumer protections is consistent with our conception of free markets. Think, for a moment, of buying an automobile.
Federal laws ensure that new cars have horns, brakes, and headlights.
The same notion of basic protections and standards should apply to health plans. To the contrary, they set a level playing field that allows competition to thrive.