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Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
death penalty drugs
OK, someone really has to explain this to me....
We are going to put people to death (not entirely sure how I feel about this, but that is not the point here) for presumabely heinous crimes, and yet we are so concerned about their comfort at the momnet of their death that we have halted executions.
Any MD in the world will tell you that it is remarkabley easy to cause someone's death via intravenous injection of drugs that will be not only not painful, but frankly will have them going with a smile on their faces.
What is wrong with 100 mg of fentanyl followed by 100 mEq of potassium?. Gaurantee they will die, and guaranteee that last thing they will feel will be euphoria.
I don't get it....
We are going to put people to death (not entirely sure how I feel about this, but that is not the point here) for presumabely heinous crimes, and yet we are so concerned about their comfort at the momnet of their death that we have halted executions.
Any MD in the world will tell you that it is remarkabley easy to cause someone's death via intravenous injection of drugs that will be not only not painful, but frankly will have them going with a smile on their faces.
What is wrong with 100 mg of fentanyl followed by 100 mEq of potassium?. Gaurantee they will die, and guaranteee that last thing they will feel will be euphoria.
I don't get it....
Friday, February 11, 2011
Mandatory insurance coverage
As a physician, I am sure I am quite in the minority on the issue of health care reform and specifically an insurance mandate (That in and of itself is a mystery to me...but more on that later).
I get it about the constitution, and I agree that it is difficult having the government force us to do anything...but this is not just anything. Everyone seems to know what the framers of the constitution had in mind. My bet is if thery were doing it all again today, an insurance mandate (or more probably government supported healthcare for the needy) would be in the constitution. If the government forced you to pay for something you may never use, that would be unfair...but I really don't see how anyone gets through their life in America without using the health care system, and if you do get through without using the system, you are not taking good care of yourself. I am pretty sure you are going to die one day; if you plan on just quietly passing away at home without ever seeing a doctor that would be great, but that is remarkably unlikely. I'll make you a deal, buy the insurance and if you die without ever having seen a doctor or spending one cent on healthcare, we'll give you all your premiums back. It's a pretty safe bet.
Government does not force us to buy auto insurance...unless you want to drive a car. Seeing as everyone has health and presumably maintains their health, why is it unreasonable to require insurance to cover your health?
Of course there is a simple solution. Offer an 'opt-out' clause. Just sign a paper saying you don't want health insurance and you willingly forgo your right to health care (unless you pay cash) under any circumstances. Of course this will never happen because of a little oath thing we doctors have to take, saying we won't deny anyone care due to inability to pay. That darn Hippocrates...he really put us in a bind.
The fact that the government already does force a huge number of Americans to purchase health insurance already (the incredibly popular and successful Medicare program) seems oddly lost on most in the debate. Would it be better if we just took the money out of your taxes (like Medicare) and let the government handle it for us? Unlikely to be popular....
America....you can't have it both ways. Either buy insurance, pay cash or forgo your right to health care.
I get it about the constitution, and I agree that it is difficult having the government force us to do anything...but this is not just anything. Everyone seems to know what the framers of the constitution had in mind. My bet is if thery were doing it all again today, an insurance mandate (or more probably government supported healthcare for the needy) would be in the constitution. If the government forced you to pay for something you may never use, that would be unfair...but I really don't see how anyone gets through their life in America without using the health care system, and if you do get through without using the system, you are not taking good care of yourself. I am pretty sure you are going to die one day; if you plan on just quietly passing away at home without ever seeing a doctor that would be great, but that is remarkably unlikely. I'll make you a deal, buy the insurance and if you die without ever having seen a doctor or spending one cent on healthcare, we'll give you all your premiums back. It's a pretty safe bet.
Government does not force us to buy auto insurance...unless you want to drive a car. Seeing as everyone has health and presumably maintains their health, why is it unreasonable to require insurance to cover your health?
Of course there is a simple solution. Offer an 'opt-out' clause. Just sign a paper saying you don't want health insurance and you willingly forgo your right to health care (unless you pay cash) under any circumstances. Of course this will never happen because of a little oath thing we doctors have to take, saying we won't deny anyone care due to inability to pay. That darn Hippocrates...he really put us in a bind.
The fact that the government already does force a huge number of Americans to purchase health insurance already (the incredibly popular and successful Medicare program) seems oddly lost on most in the debate. Would it be better if we just took the money out of your taxes (like Medicare) and let the government handle it for us? Unlikely to be popular....
America....you can't have it both ways. Either buy insurance, pay cash or forgo your right to health care.
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