RATIONING .. FREE-MARKET BE DAMNED .. THIS IS THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE? 

I've mentioned Donald Berwick before. He is Obama's nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We are learning more about Dr. Berwick, and it isn't looking too pretty for those of you who value the free-market and individual choice. This pretty much seems to be the routine whenever The Community Organizer presents us with another of his wonderful finds.

Dr. Berwick wrote an article that was published in the British Medical Journal in 2006. He explicitly says in his article: "Please don't put your faith in market forces." The article had 10 suggestions for Britain's NHS, and here is one of his suggestions:

"Please don't put your faith in market forces [emphasis in original]. It's a popular idea: that Adam Smith's invisible hand would do a better job of designing care than leaders with plans can. I find little evidence that market forces relying on consumers choosing among an array of products, with competitors fighting it out, leads to the healthcare system you want and need. In the U.S., competition is a major reason for our duplicative, supply driven, fragmented care system."

In addition, in a 2009 interview, Dr. Berwick commented on Comparative Effectiveness Research saying, "The decision is not whether or not we will ration care--the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open." ObamaCare created a Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness research.