Op-eds
Alieta Eck, MD
May 19, 2013
By: Alieta Eck, MD http://www.zhcenter.org I am a physician in private practice who enjoys taking care of elderly patients. Because most retirees over age 65 who want to be insured have no choice but to enroll in the Medicare program, I have continued to cooperate with the program. Many of my physician colleagues have opted out of Medicare, and I wonder how long I can hold out. As I continue to be presented with new Medicare requirements, it appears I am being given two choices. I can continue to provide comprehensive, personalized care for my patients, or I can focus... read more
Marilyn Singleton, MD, JD
May 6, 2013
By Marilyn M. Singleton, M.D., J.D. When advance health care directives (“living wills”) were popularized, the guiding principle was to allow patients to choose to “die with dignity.” But one man’s dignity is another man’s poison. Surveys suggest that half of those with a serious chronic illness prefer to die at home. The other half prefer treatment in hospitals. Advance directive legislation has evolved from a means to ensure patient autonomy to a license for health providers to withdraw medical treatment—even against a patient’s wishes. Statutory advance directives provide that individuals “have the right to give instructions about their own... read more
Alieta Eck, MD
Apr 29, 2013
By: Alieta Eck MD, On April 26, 2013, The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) was delivered a shot across the bow. Physicians who had been laboring under increasing burdens and requirements have finally said “enough is enough.” The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) served this Board with a lawsuit in the federal court in Trenton, NJ. The ABMS is the umbrella organization that accepts dues from 24 specialty medical boards. They have developed an ongoing program of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and are asking states to use this same testing for Maintenance of Licensure (MOL). Medical insurance... read more
Jane Orient, MD
Apr 22, 2013
By Jane M. Orient, M.D., As cardiovascular surgeon John Natale, M.D., sits in federal prison, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago heard his appeal on April 18. After a seven-year investigation, Dr. Natale was indicted for Medicare fraud. Unlike the majority of federal defendants, who feel compelled to cave in by signing a plea bargain even when innocent, Dr. Natale courageously exercised his constitutional right to have a public trial. That is in itself considered an “obstruction of justice” by our government. The conviction rate is more than 95 percent, and sentences may be much longer than those... read more
Keith Smith, MD
Apr 15, 2013
By: G. Keith Smith, M.D http://SurgeryCenterOK.com The strongest advocate for expanding Medicaid—and the likely source of funding for the massive advertising campaign—is the hospital lobby. We hear that hospitals are going broke. They can’t make ends meet. The uninsured are breaking the hospitals’ backs from emergency room over-utilization. Hospitals won’t survive unless Medicaid is expanded. (This is the most interesting claim, as hospitals simultaneously complain that underpayment by Medicaid justifies their cost-shifting to others!) These are the lies that are primarily responsible for bringing us ObamaCare. But if we look around us, what do we see? Hospitals are building everywhere.... read more
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