Recommended: Five ways to reform health care

President Obama's "bipartisan health care summit" is fast approaching, though how bipartisan it will be remains to be seen. House and Senate Democratic leaders have apparently rushed to put together a set of deals that would set the stage for passing the legislation through the "resolution" option, which requires only 51 votes in the Senate. That doesn't sound like they are very interested in any Republican ideas that may be offered at the summit.

You may find it interesting to read the article Five ways to reform health care in today's Washington Post. The author is Tim Pawlenty, who just happens to be the Republican governor of Minnesota, and a potential Presidential candidate. In general I agree with his approach, which is much more likely to really cut costs and not expand the federal debt than the Democrat's current plan. Of course, liability reform would require taking on the trial lawyers, who are an influential part of the Democratic base, so no such plan is likely to come out of the current Congress.