Greta: ObamaCare torpedoing medical research, development

'Off the Record', 12/9/13: How ObamaCare is doing a good job of destroying efforts to find cures for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other life-threatening diseases

By Greta Van Susteren

Let's go "Off the Record" for just a minute.

Do you have any idea how crazy it is to torpedo medical research and development? Torpedo efforts to find cures for cancer, diabetes, heart disease or some other life-threatening disease? ObamaCare is doing a good job of doing just that. How?

By either being in cahoots with the insurance industry, or just being plain stupid, or maybe even a touch of both. Here's a fact: Cures for cancer or other grave illnesses are not developed at our community hospitals. Cures that change and lives come out of giant research centers. Chemotherapy? That was not discovered at the local community hospital. How about some of those incredible surgical medical robots?

Now, according to "The Financial Times," under ObamaCare, cancer research, hospital grants like M.D. Anderson in Houston, Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, Sloan Kettering in New York City, they are all getting the boot from insurance networks, which means patients can't go there because their insurance won't pay. The insurers don't want to pay for that high quality medical care and research. Insurance companies want to do it on the cheap. So, how are these giant research centers going to survive, to afford funding the research to maybe cure your disease or extend your life, or maybe even save it?

What's wrong with us? We used to reach for the moon, literally. And we took great pride in our incredible research and what it could do and how it could save lives. And now, Obama and the insurance industry are putting the shackles on research and development. Bad, huh?

And one other thing. Do not think for one second my criticism of ObamaCare does not mean I want access for medical care for everyone who needs it. I do. But I want smart ideas, not those bad ones that hurt us.

That's my "Off the Record" comment tonight. If you have an important story or issue you think I should take "Off the Record," go to GretaWire.com and tell us about it.