Opinion: Rise of the medical expertocracy in government

As the healthcare debate heats up again in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans will try to convince us that they have the experts to answer all our health questions. President Barack Obama and the Democrats propose panels of government experts to evaluate treatments. Republicans claim that the free market (that is, insurance companies with their own experts) will pay for value and empower consumers. You cannot pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or surf the Internet without encountering conflicting reports about various tests and treatments. Medical experts disagree about many issues, often dramatically.