Kathleen Parker: Reforming health care reform the Utah way

WASHINGTON - In a way, it's too bad President Obama tapped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman to serve as ambassador to China.

As governor, Huntsman has overseen a blueprint for the overhaul of Utah's health care system that could be a model for a more rational approach to national reform. In one fell swoop, Obama effectively eliminated one of the most qualified Republicans to challenge his health care reform.

Alas, Huntsman, whose talents include speaking Mandarin Chinese, was also perfectly suited to the China position.

Oh well, c'est la guerre.

In Huntsman's likely absence - and given that the national health care plan as proposed has no chance of survival - perhaps we should take a look at what he will leave behind. Rather than dismantle Utah's health care system, Huntsman homed in on the central problems and put mechanisms in place to fix them.

What a stunning idea. Revolutionary in its respect for rational human behavior, Huntsman's plan, scheduled to go into effect this fall, begs to be admired up close.

One of the most crucial problems, locally and nationally, is that most of the uninsured earn low wages and often work in small firms. Thus, Utah has created an exchange focused on improving insurance options for them and leaves alone those with good insurance today. And the exchange facilitates consumer choice based on price transparency, not government regulation and control.

One reform, for example, creates portable coverage - insurance policies that workers can take with them when they leave or change jobs and that can be paid for with pretax dollars. Utah consumers also can pick the insurance program that best suits them, taking into consideration cost and level of benefits needed. To assist, the state launched a Web site where consumers can compare policies, pricing and financing, and sign up electronically - all in one place.

Not surprisingly, Utah's plan resulted from months of research, consensus-building and meetings among legislators, health care providers, insurers, businesses and community members. It hasn't happened quickly, in other words - nor is the process over.

That is to say, health care is complicated and reform takes time. Like Obama, Huntsman recognized the abysmal condition of his state's health care system and declared in 2005 that doing nothing was not an option. Though they share the same goal, the two leaders have taken significantly different approaches. Notably missing in Utah was the rush-rush-rush mentality adopted by the Obama administration.

If the plan is so good, why the hurry?

Simple and geared toward the consumer, Utah's bipartisan reform project was designed under the operating principle that Americans are capable of making their own decisions, whereas the Obama plan presumes that only government can solve the problem.

Government has a place, to be sure. But as Huntsman and his team have demonstrated, government's best role is in creating mechanisms for people to help themselves.

n Contact the writer: kparker@kparker.com