The change came from wage controls during the Second World War. Ever since, employer-provided care is paid with pre-tax dollars while most private insurance outside of the workplace is paid with after-tax dollars. That's a huge penalty.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_TRBtKwBr4oC&pg=PA261&#...

It is also illegal to buy health care insurance across state lines, so it isn't a competitive national marketplace.

We need to make health care more market oriented, not less.