Management by objection? Public policies to protect choice in health plans

Consumer choice is a watchword of the market reforms now sweeping the U.S, health care system. Policy makers, however, must grapple with an important ambiguity: is the objective to expand choice or prefect choosers, and what should be done if the two goals conflict? Concerns about health care market malfunctions trigger a politics of consumer protection that may emphasize regulatory standards over market flexibility. To complicate matters further , hopes that deluging consumers with information can ensure that choices ar e at once ample and prudent are likely to be disappointed.