Innovation often comes from the states, and the new Massachusetts health care plan is a perfect example.

The bipartisan plan "fundamentally shifts the states health care towards greater patient and consumer empowerment and control," writes Ed Haislmaier, who helped develop it.

The plan gives the public what it wants: "a health system with all the comforts of employer coverage but with the added benefits of portability, choice, and control."

And it does this by relying on markets, not the state. This isn't Clinton-care. It's revolutionary reform.

Read The Significance of Massachusetts Health Reform by Edmund Haislmaier

The Maryland legislature’s decision to require that its big businesses spend 8 percent of payroll on health insurance has turbo-charged the AFL-CIO’s “Fair Share” campaign to enact similar legislation in 30 states. As always, the word “fair” implies that someone’s pocket is about to be picked. In this case, it is that of the American business community. The problem the legislation addresses is serious. Sadly, the Maryland solution could not be worse. States should look to the best features of Massachusetts's recent reform efforts for a more promising approach.

Italy’s left-wing Union coalition, headed by Romano Prodi, has claimed victory in this week’s general election. Incumbent Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, however, refuses to concede and has demanded a recount of 43,000 spoiled ballots. If Prodi succeeds in forming the next Italian government in May, as is likely, he will face a huge challenge in governing the country effectively with a wafer-thin majority, and Italians can expect a new era of political uncertainty, with the prospect of another election in the near future.