By Evan Falchuk

Ezra Klein suggests that the Problem with Doctors is that public opinion polls show that they are “pretty much beyond reproach.”

Why is this a problem?

Well, it’s because doctors are a major barrier to true health care reform.  You see, doctors are trusted and popular, but

doctor behavior, though generally admirable, is certainly not perfect.  We’re still in a world, sadly, where study after study shows that the treatment we should get does not match the treatment we do get, where study after study shows the treatments we do get are not based on sufficient evidence.  There are certain policies — things like comparative effectiveness review, or a reform of fee-for-service payment practices — that would improve the situation.  But it’s hard for legislators to broach those subjects because doctors are a popular, and thus a powerful constituency, and they reflexively oppose policies that could harm their salaries or limit their autonomy.

I was going to note that, like Pearlstein, Klein offers no support for his assertions that doctors reflexively oppose these things.

But then I saw that Klein actually linked to Pearlstein in support of this idea.  Is that an echo I hear?