It starts by addressing systemic issues:
1. Remove tax advantages from corporate plans
2. Allow people to see what their treatments cost -- pay for results instead of doctor anguish (the current way medicare works -- a truly horrible system).
3. Allow people to buy insurance from anywhere in the country.
4. Change the expectations of health insurance -- it covers disastrous problems. For everyday maintenance it's up to you, and you better make sure you do it because your catastrophic health insurance will raise your rates significantly if you don't take care of yourself.
5. If you have something happen that would be considered "a preexisting condition" for other providers your provider sets up a fund for you that covers that. For instance if you have cancer -- the health insurance you have at the time of diagnosis will cover the costs.
None of these need government mandates, they just need the government to get out of the way.
If you look at Lasik eye surgery costs the technology has gotten better and the price has declined -- that's what happens when people shop around, which is the majority of all healthcare dollars.
Modern medicine is really, really messed up. I think the whole thing needs a reboot, and everyone involved needs a reality check.
As far as the article is concerned, I definitely don't think "phoning it in" is the answer, and I don't think that solution addresses any of the issues listed above. We need to reset everyone's expectations.
Law and decree may help temporarily, but they'll just find ways around it, and the government can't pay them off forever. We need a real solution to this and no one's coming up with any.