That’s the question that noted healthcare economist John Goodman asks in this Forbes piece. The answer has everything to do with the increasing bureaucratization and politicization of the medical profession. That is another of the many unintended consequences of the decades of government meddling in the market for healthcare, culminating in Obamacare’s reams of regulations.

A few years ago, we had a speaker who discussed concierge medicine — direct, fee for service care by a doctor who has strong incentives to keep you well and happy with his service. Goodman observes, “We could all have a concierge doctor if we freed doctors and patients to relate the way other professionals and their clients relate.” Absolutely, but that is just what the statists who intend to manage the details of our lives don’t want.