When the Government Practices Medicine

Carol Platt Liebau | December 06, 2009 7:11 PM

Nat Hentoff is a well-known civil libertarian and hardly a part of the "vast right-wing conspiracy."

He is someone who calls 'em like he sees 'em, and because of his background writing for publications like the Village Voice and the New Yorker, one would think he would be a proponent of ObamaCare.

Not so fast. In today's Orange County Register, he points out that the scariest part of ObamaCare is its effort to insert the government into the doctor-patient relationship. You bet the government intends to cut health care costs -- by telling doctors what tests they can order for you and me, and then penalizing the doctors by cutting their income if they order too many.

As Hentoff asks, "Is this America?"

And ask yourself whether a bureaucracy that can't even handle "cash for clunkers" should be micromanaging your relationship with your doctor.