- Medicare Advantage enrollees are more likely to get preventive care. Other comparisons with traditional Medicare were mixed.
- GOP’s approach to drug pricing.
- How reliable are blood tests for detecting cancer? (WSJ)
- The case for fasting.
- Even the Biden administration admits, “No one is serving time in federal prison solely for the crime of marijuana possession.” (WSJ)
Category: Policy & Legislation
Right to Treat: Big Brother wants to Control Care and Treatment Information
Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed legislation to allow the California state medical board to discipline doctors who its believes are spreading coronavirus misinformation during direct patient care. Penalties include the possibility of losing or suspending physicians’ medical licenses.
The bill, AB2098, states that any licensed physician or surgeon is committing “unprofessional conduct” if they disseminate “misinformation or disinformation” about the nature and risks of the virus, the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, and the development, safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Mass hysteria: 90% of Americans Believe US is Suffering a Mental Health Crisis
According to a new survey from CNN and the Kaiser Family Foundation an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the United States is suffering through a mental health crisis.
Nine out of 10 adults said they believed that there’s a mental health crisis in the US today. Asked to rate the severity of six specific mental health concerns, Americans put the opioid epidemic near the top, with more than two-thirds of people identifying it as a crisis rather than merely a problem. More than half identified mental health issues among children and teenagers as a crisis, as well as severe mental illness in adults.
The broad concern is well-founded, rooted in both personal experience and national trends.
Do You Want Your Test Results Before Your Doctor?
The Cures Act signed into law in 2016 by then President Obama included many provisions. One was medical test results must be available for patients to review without delay. While doctors and patients universally think this is a desirable outcome, The New York Times found reasons to criticize it.
Its intention was to bring health care into the modern era. And the provision has successfully given patients easy access to their medical records, empowering them to play a more active role in their care by eliminating the doctor as gatekeeper.
But it has also led to experiences like mine, in which patients are confronted with material they never wanted to see. Some have learned about life-altering diagnoses and developments — from cancer to chronic illness to miscarriage — through emails and online portals, left to process the information alone.