Saturday, January 16, 2010

Quick Links: Opacity, Lab Tests, Lobbyists

A few stories from the last few days.

1) The White House hates real transparency, as we've seen by their refusal to live up to their promise to hold health care negotiations in public.

But they've also engaged in some reverse transparency ("opacity"?), at least according to this story: "How the White House Used Gruber's Work to Create Appearance of Broad Consensus".

2) Brian Schwartz alerts us to John Stossel's piece: "A Sliver of Free Market in Medicine".

Willing patients should be able to purchase lab tests without having to go through a physician. The AMA (American Medical Association) is wrong on this issue, and that's another reason I'm not a member.

3) The Wall Street Journal reports that lobbyists for drug and insurance companies are backing the pro-ObamaCare Senate candidate in Massachusetts, Martha Coakley.

Instead of taking a principled stand against government regulations (and for free market reforms), they're probably thinking they can sway the political process to their liking by supporting (appeasing?) the greater statist now. If history is any guide, they'll soon learn the error of their ways. It's too bad we'll also have to pay the price for their folly.