In Klein’s attempt to defend the bill, he points to five cost controls. Only two seem to show some promise. Two others are dubious, with little evidence to back up the belief that they will bring down prices and one “cost control” is not even in the bill at all, just a vague hope for a better tomorrow.

Paul Krugman makes the case for Senate “centrists” to support health reform and its cost containment features. But Karen Tumulty notes the industry seems to be beating efforts to force them to cut costs or bend to regulation.

It is one thing that the Obama administration decided not to try to pursue many proven cost-cutting solutions because they are too politically difficult; governing is the art of the possible. But pretending these proven cost-controlling ideas don’t even exist is governmental malpractice.If you trade away most of the cost controlling reforms to bring the different industries on board, you have no right to go around complaining when people say your reform plan does not do enough to control cost.