Take Two Oxycontin and Call Me In The Morning

Lawyers often get a bad rap for making healthcare expensive. Allegedly our lawsuits push doctors out of high risk fields. In Texas medical malpractice litigation has been effectively shut down by insurance companies and the GOP (both of whom hate trial lawyers).

Where am I going with this?

Today there is a congressional hearing on the DEA’s War Against Pain Doctors. If you think lawsuits and high insurance costs can run doctors out of certain fields, wait till you see what arrests and federal criminal charges can do.

Who is going to want to practice pain management these days? Pain management requires powerful opioids that some patients will get addicted to. However, most patients get the relief they need to function without addiction. By letting the DEA arrest pain doctors we are making a decision that stopping a few addicts is more important than treating all patients effectively.

Who is the DEA protecting? And from what? We have terrorists who want to kill us and we are wasting time jailing doctors.

This War on Pain doctors sends a clear signal to other pain management doctors. Get out of the field or under treat your patients. The losers are those who need pain management the most. If you are in pain you had better hope that a standard dose works for you. If not you may be out of luck. No doctor is going to risk his freedom for a patient.

Who is the DEA to make medical decisions? What do they know about pain management? It is time to take law enforcement out of the health care system.

Michael Moore fans take note. This is the same federal government you want in charge of all health care.

Labels: DEA, Federal Government, Health Care