Standing behind him as he made the remarks were the leaders of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the American Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the American Hospital Association and the Service Employees International Union--trade groups representing medical technology companies, doctors, pharmaceuticals, hospitals and labor.

FORBES: Health Care Reform

It would do so by overregulating the health-care system in the service of special interests such as insurance companies, hospitals, professional organizations and pharmaceutical companies, rather than the patients who should be our primary concern.

WSJ: Jeffrey S. Flier: Health 'Reform' Gets a Failing Grade

The French postal service, for example, has used it to help its workers choose the best delivery routes, and pharmaceutical researchers are using it to determine molecular structures by combining their gut instincts with known results stored in a database.

ECONOMIST: Monitor