Good grief. When we are supposedly about reducing health care costs, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA–of course!) pushes legislation that would require us all to get a physician’s prescription to buy Sudafed. From Debra J. Saunders,’ ”God Bless You, Sen. Feinstein,” in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein began her war on allergy and cold sufferers in 2005. In an effort to prevent small-time dealers from buying allergy and cold drugs and cooking them into methamphetamine, she pushed through legislation requiring consumers to show identification before purchasing products with pseudoephedrine – otherwise known as the good allergy drugs, known only to those who know enough to ask for them. Now Feinstein wants to make you get a prescription from a doctor before you buy these drugs.

Think about it. You get a slight cold or an allergic post nasal drip. You have to call your doctor to get a prescription. You have to have the prescription sent to the pharmacy. And then have a pharmacist fill the prescription. Costs going up! Time wasted spinning wheels! More tying us in bureaucratic knots!

Even if you can obtain such a prescription by phone, the doctor will charge for the service. Those without a personal doctor would have to go to an urgent care or other clinic to get a prescription. Hey, I know! Just require doctors to give the prescriptions for free! That’s what they are doing to insurance companies in the Free Birth Control Rule.

(Full Disclosure: I am married to Debra J. Saunders.)