John Stossel’s Health Care Reform Plan: Shut Down the FDA

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by Frances Martel | 1:30 pm, February 24th, 2010

» 10 comments

Since health care reform wasn’t already complex and cumbersome enough, John Stossel presented a whole new dimension to the debate last night. While most that are skeptical of the government’s hand in medicine limit their concerns to government-run health care, Stossel is wary of federal drug regulations, accusing the FDA of “protecting us to death.”

Stossel made his weekly O’Reilly Factor appearance last night to send a sharp message to the federal government: keep out of individual consumption and abolish the FDA. Stossel argued to a not-entirely-convinced Bill O’Reilly that private groups should be responsible for evaluating the risks and benefits of certain drugs. O’Reilly response was a personal anecdote about a cholesterol-lowering drug putting his “liver on a stick” without him having been able to find the information that would have told him this was a possible side effect, to which Stossel replied, “If you weren’t such a meek, passive person trusting the government, you would have read up before you took [the medication].”

Stossel argued that private consumer reports would be enough to keep the companies on their toes, but a private system would be based on trial and error and on trusting the drug companies, with no authority to coerce them into honesty. Stossel’s “private” version of the FDA would look something like the current news media, with consumers picking and choosing who they trust based on personal biases. This works great in a field where the product of consumption is the bias itself, but when the product of consumption can potentially kill the consumer, the stakes change and an impartial authority should take control.

This segment was likely a victory for O’Reilly. That said, John Stossel is increasingly becoming an indispensable voice in the world of political commentary, if only for finding and exposing the most obscure and fascinating corners of issues most people who follow cable news are sick of hearing about ad naseum. While everyone is up in arms about Obama’s socialist policies, Stossel is afraid of becoming a vassal in a neo-feudal system. When the mainstream right expresses concern over a government-run health care system, Stossel points out the pitfalls of government-run drug regulation. Agree with his stances or not, they certainly are refreshing.

Watch the segment below:

Bill O'Reilly, drug companies, drug regulations, FDA, fox news, Health Care, Health Care Reform, John Stossel, libertarians, O'Reilly Factor, Toyota, Toyota Recall

m

Stossel is the extreme of most extreme ideologues. Any society where corporations regulate themselves is a recipe for complete disaster. We all know what corporations do when there’s no regulation at all (secret credit card fees, shuffle paper around and collapse the economy).

Sorry Stossel, but your kind died out after the Great Depression.
Hannity Hussein

The real question about lunatics like John Stossel is how does this whack job find gainful employment.
Many Americans appear to have an unquenchable capacity to consume 100% crap while being completely oblivious to the noxious odor.
Oh yes,Stossel, blends right into that ripe Fox aroma.
The Real Royal King

The only person on the air who irritates me as much as Stossel is Geraldo. It’s a good thing they’re not on the same network. Wait. They are, aren’t they?
taxed

not liking Geraldo makes you a racist, right?
The Real Royal King

No, it makes me a man of exceedingly good discretion.
same2u

Can we do away with the meat inspectors as well? I think it is time for teabaggers to be served some of this resulting meat.
fydsyd

M, that’s not what he’s saying.
Hannity Hussein, view the segment before commenting.
The Real Royal King, do you have a viewpoint about the subject matter?
same2u, that’s not what he’s saying.

You guys have all heard of the NASD and NYSE, right? (Now they merged to become FINRA). You know they have rules for brokerage firms, right? They are non-governmental industry regulatory bodies. OH NOES!! Self-Regulatory Organizations!!

If the government isn’t doing it, that means it’s not getting done AT ALL, right? That’s the logic at work here.

Stossel: the government doesn’t HAVE to do this, a private agency like Consumer Reports can do it.
You guys: ZOMG JOHN CRAZYPANTS STOSSEL SAID DRUGS SHOULD NOT BE REGULATED AT ALL NOT EVEN ONE PERCENT!!!

Smart, deliberative people actually listen to what he’s saying. The rest of the crowd thinks “private” means “zero, none, zilch, not at all, nuthin’.” And it makes you look like dunces Every. Single. Time.
HMan

As a person that has spent his career developing drugs in all phases of development, I can tell you the FDA is basically a road block with no real knowledge of new drugs or process. They hirer PhD’s right out of school with no experience, to audit filing from industry experts. From my decades of experience companies go far beyond what the FDA requires in the 21 CFR and for the most part the FDA only picks up on small irrelevant typos in filings or ask for studies which are completely useless just to push some hot buzz words and get through their required 2 audits a month per person. Government work is where good workers go to die. I’ve seen it many times.. So Stossel does have a point.. why would I trust a green PhD with no work experience to tell me how to do my job, when I have many years of experience and a much more applicable PhD in the field. The chances of them catching anything relevant is like a needle in a haystack.
Nachi

Brilliant, John. Just brilliant!! Another deep-thinker in our midst. Wiederbetaetigung!!
T. Jefferson

Stossel is right on the money, you fools who think the government is trying to protect you have been fooled once again. The government (John McCain co sponsoring a bill that would require a docs prescription to buy vitamins) is another good example of the government “protecting” you idiots.   They are just protecting their big Pharma partners and providing some welfare for the doctors writing the scripts for Vitamins.
Cop a clue guys, you have been fooled again - As Pres. Abe Lincoln said famously, You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time……   Well i am seeing that in the USA they can fool YOU all the the time.
You think all the government security did any good on 9-11.   Do you think the millions of homeland security people are actually making you more secure? You have been duped an duped well into paying taxes for a huge govt bureaucracy 10x bigger than it needs to be.