February 24, 2020 The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) submits the following comments on the “Draft Vertical Merger Guidelines” announced on January 10, 2020 by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. AAPS is a non-profit membership organization of physicians and surgeons who are mostly in small, independent practices. Founded in […]
By Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD As the death toll and cases of 2019- nCoV (aka novel coronavirus) infection rises, our curiosity increases as to the epidemic’s when, why, where, and how. Is the new virus naturally occurring, animal to human transmission, a bioweapon? “Official stories” aside, the world wide information highway is our best […]
The House Ways and Means Committee is trying to pass the Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act, which it claims will “better shield patients from bankrupting surprise medical bills.” It states that its “approach recognizes the importance of the private market dynamics between insurance plans and providers.” “But there are no private market dynamics […]
By Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bond to Service for a Term of Years [i.e., indentured servants], […]
On February 3, 2020 the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons filed an Amicus Brief with the Supreme Court of the United States opposing the petitions of The U.S. House and Democratic States, led by California, asking the court to overturn lower court rulings that invalidate Obamacare. The brief reads in part: The House and […]
The internet is supposed to provide open access to information to people of different opinions, and algorithms for search engines such as Google were originally designed to rank entries on the basis of traffic to a site. It was democratic in the sense that people voted with their mouse clicks. Freedom of communication is a […]
By Jane M. Orient, M.D. Clusters of a dozen or so deaths may get nonstop “if-it-bleeds-it-leads” press coverage. But the lack of preparedness for the really, really big threats may be met with virtual radio silence—until panic breaks out. The worst, possibly existential, threat is the stealthy, invisible one that multiplies exponentially—in the accurate sense […]
The American College of Physicians (ACP), the nation’s second-largest physician group, claiming 159,000 members, has announced its support for “single-payer, public option plans.” This proposal is really a “no options” plan, according to the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). “This proposal is a 180-degree shift from the American Medical Association’s stand in 1965, […]
The Good News: After you, your colleagues, and patients spoke out last month, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) scrappedplans to impose a minimum 10-business-day wait on patients seeking non-emergency care from an out-of-network physician at any hospital or surgery center in the state of Texas. The Bad News: The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) stepped in and imposed a similar […]
Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD reviews the latest health policy news from Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives has been embroiled in its impeachment (mis)adventure, but a few health bills have been introduced without any action. In the end it is the philosophical fight between government control or individual control over one’s medical care. Lowering […]