By Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD, @MSingletonMDJD “Disruptive innovation” is all the buzz. Repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is so last year. Well, disrupt this: repeal Medicare and Medicaid and get the government out of the medical care business. The federal government appropriately began its involvement in health care in 1798 when Congress established […]
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has sent out a Request for Information (RFI) concerning a new project called DPC. This stands for Direct Provider Contracting—not Direct Primary Care or Direct Patient Care, the growing type of practices that work for patients, not third parties. There are now about 770 such practices, the […]
By Jane M. Orient, MD A bill, SB 286 introduced by Sen. John Milkovich, that would give doctors the right to defend themselves if brought before the state licensure board, the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME), was heard in the Louisiana state House of Representatives on May 2. If it passes, doctors could […]
By Jane M. Orient, M.D. A “right to healthcare” is a seductive idea that many Americans accept without thinking. But we need to take a closer look at what this means. The total program being pushed by “right-to-healthcare” cheerleaders—primarily Democrats—is full of mandates. A mandate means you have NO right to opt out, except possibly […]
By Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD – http://vivelifecenter.com Three events portend serious danger to medical privacy, but it may be hard for patients to connect the dots because they seem unrelated, involve different sectors of the economy, and occurred several years apart. The first threat arose from the 2008 financial crisis. Buried in the major legislation […]
To view letter and list of signers: click here. To add your name as a supporter: click here. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) sent a letter today, signed by 1,125 doctors and patients, to the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees encouraging expeditious approval of H.R. 365 and S. 1358. […]
By: Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD April 16th begins a week of National Healthcare Decisions Day. Hopefully this week will encourage honest discussions not only about a so-called “good death” but the value of an individual’s life. I am not optimistic, given the trend toward consciously or unconsciously steering patients toward “death with dignity” rather […]
Newly installed Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar says that President Trump wants “big and bold” health care changes. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) agrees that such changes are long overdue, but urges the Administration to base them on a correct diagnosis. Azar’s four areas of concern are lowering drug […]
By Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD In an entertainment venue called the “Escape Room,” participants are locked inside a themed adventure room, and they must figure out how to escape. Themes include prisons, KGB interrogation, and hostage situations. Perhaps a new theme could be ObamaCare. Despite a large majority of Americans reporting healthcare as their […]
Volume 74, no. 4 April 2018 The leading publication of organized medicine has published an extensive analysis of U.S. “health care” spending, which is twice as high per capita as in other comparable countries—although health outcomes are no better, and utilization is similar (Papanicolas et al. JAMA 3/13/18). Why? “It’s the prices, stupid!” editorializes Ezekiel […]