Intrinsic to the legislative plans now under debate is the idea that we will constrain the growth in health care costs by cutting insurance premiums. This is like reducing automobile accidents by reducing auto insurance payments. It makes no sense at all. Reducing health care costs by reducing insurance payments depends on the concept that there really is no increase in intrinsic health care costs and all of the increase is due to the predatory practices of insurance companies. That is what they would have us believe in order to sign on to either the Baucus bill (insurance exchanges) or HR3200 (the public option). But here is what the CBO in its study, “Key issues in Analyzing Major Health Insurance Proposals” released in 2008, has said about the growth in Medicare costs: