too bad Obama passed on Bredesen

A little dated, but still interesting...

From a WSJ editorial, comments on the power of leftist organizations in sacking a candidate for Health and Human Services. Gov. Bredesen (D-TN) was unacceptable because he did not reflexively see more socialism as the answer to our health care/insurance problems. Obama recently appointed Gov. Sebelius (D-KS) instead.

"You have the spotlight shined on you and then come along and get mugged." That's how Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, describes his recent ambush by MoveOn.org after his name was floated as a possible secretary of Health and Human Services.

Mr. Bredesen would seem to be the kind of pragmatic problem-solver that President Obama claims to favor. He's a Democrat elected twice in a red state and has been the CEO of Nashville-based HealthAmerica Corp. More important, he has seen how easily hopes for "universal coverage" can be dashed against the realities of cost and perverse incentives.

Mr. Bredesen came into office in 2003 when the TennCare Medicaid program was bankrupting his state....the program had grown to consume a third of the state budget....

The Governor spent two years trimming around the edges...In 2005, he finally struck at the core of the program by paring back eligibility....

Then Mr. Bredesen tried a different idea: He offered state-subsidized insurance to low-income workers, but with incentives to control costs, including co-pays and monthly premiums. The plan includes a cap on benefits of $25,000 a year. That's not enough to cover catastrophic medical events, but it does cover the health-care needs of most in the program. Monthly premiums are $150, with the state, employers and employees each picking up a third of the tab.

For MoveOn and the single-payer lobby, Mr. Bredesen's approach is unacceptable because government doesn't run everything....