RedScrubs

One of the conservative mantras in recent years has been “consumer choice.” When Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage Plans were designed, the availability of a variety of not-strictly-comparable plans was held to be a benefit to “consumers.” The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program of health insurance plans available to federal employees and retirees was held up as an example of how “empowering the consumer” made for good insurance coverage – with federal employees having flexibility to change plans annually during enrollment “open season.”