Jack, whenever I am asked about a constitutional interpretation my response is always this. If you were to ask James Madison, Thomas Jefferson or John Adams, what would they say. I am pretty sure they would say no to your question.
To dip a little further into a couple other questions the federal government already uses its bargaining power to set medicare rates and costs are still high.
As to the cost of malpractise the lawsuits and insurance premiums only scratch the surface of the effect. Since doctors know they are subject to be sued on a whim they will commonly order batteries of tests, ct scans and mri's even when unnecesary as an additional form of self protection. This practice can dramatically increase the cost of a visit to a physician. This is not universal, thankfully. I know doctors that are confidant enough in their ability as diagnosticians they forgo all but the necessary tests. I also know doctors who's prime concern seems to limitation of liability. After all they aren't directly paying the bill.
The numbers you showed above on infant mortality are so close that I don't believe health care quality is the difference. In this country being pregnant is about the easiest way to get free health care anyway. I would look at sociological and sosietal causes as the difference. According to the last figures from the CDC we have experienced a 66% increase in illnesses and deaths caused by methadone use alone. Maybe our
next discussion should be about US drug policy. Peter