Which politicians do you trust more to micromanage your health care: federal or state? That’s the false choice presented by two versions of “federalism” intended to divide responsibility for health policy between the national government and the states.

During two closed sessions before the luncheon, committee members discussed the latest in financial regulation issues. At a luncheon briefing following these sessions, SFRC members gave several statements and answered questions.

Better-designed provider-level measurement can make the cost containment tools of differential reimbursement, high-performance tiered networks, valuebased benefit design, clinical re-engineering, and the responsible choices they offer more visible and effective.

Losing money is embarrassing. And an embarrassed Jamie Dimon publicly admitted that J.P. Morgan Chase goofed. Three senior executives lost their jobs as a result. But politicians and regulators in Washington are rushing to leverage the bank's misfortune for their own gain.

A better structure for confronting financial crises is possible.

Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina will discuss the complicated relationship between the federal government and the states and her own experiences fighting government regulation.

Unlocking "unconventional" energy requires unconventional politics, and that's one resource that is genuinely scarce among today's backwards-looking bureaucrats and green interest groups.

Real health reform is needed at both the state and federal levels. It will take a few more shovels first to bury most, if not all, of the Affordable Care Act and then to dig a way out to a market-based solution that relies on state-level policy innovation in key areas.