When the Healthcare Debate Dust Settles, the Insurance Monopoly Will Be the Biggest Problem of All

No matter how the health care reform debate turns out, the increasingly monopolistic health insurance industry, is going to emerge as the biggest problem of all. With fewer choices of carriers, employers are going to be forced to pay higher premiums for plans that'll become more restrictive than ever. Doctors and hospitals will be forced by their managed care agreements to provide more services (subject to more administrative hassles) for lower reimbursements than ever. The lack of competition will hurt patients and consumers in the end as higher deductibles and copayments will be jacked up by the insurance carriers to create further profits.

Where's the Justice Department? Whatever happened to anti-trust laws? How has the insurance industry been able to vault itself to a position that appears above those laws? Anyone know?