I keep thinking of all of the medical innovations of the past that have become common and/or preventative practice in the present. Daschle has absolutely no idea where our current high standard of medical care comes from. From his perspective, it appears as pennies from heaven.
He does not realize that at one time strep infections were hopeless cases, and that antibiotics were an experimental treatment.
Daschle also argues that innovative medicine is not fair because the rich get the innovative treatments first.

Frankly, when I had cancer, I was happy to accept the best treatment that money could buy, no matter who got it first.

Ok, so they want you to believe that they are there to upgrade medical book-keeping, and turn paper into digital files.

But what does this mean?
“Evaluation of health care based on value enabled by the collection of de-identified price and quality information that can be compared.”

What an ugly bureaucracy to digitize files and get their hands on patients medical information. Of course, they “assure privacy.”

Now, if the medical industry wasn’t controlled by government at all, physicians and hospitals would be free and wealthy enough to enact these IT improvements. According to the FAQ, after the Charter for this runs out (anyone know when?), a private agency will handle. Sure they will. ;-|