Even though the government could choke off the supply of opioids that are ripping apart families and communities, characteristically our "fully committed" politicians and President Barack Obama signed a new law this spring that makes it more difficult for government…
A Path To Intended Death And A Gateway To An Opioid Epidemic The authority to diagnose, treat and prescribe provides physicians with extraordinary influence over a patient’s life. What appears to be a simple act of prescribing medication can bring…
Who decides the definition of “affordable” for individuals and families? Just because the ACA is named the “Affordable Care Act” doesn’t mean that health insurance is within reach for millions of Americans. A spokesman for the Department of Health and…
“Silence gives consent,” according to St. Thomas More. That deafening silence was evident on CBS Sunday Morning last month during an interview with Barbara Coombs Lee, a leading advocate for physician-assisted suicide and president of Compassion and Choices. When did she…
What has happened to our health care system? Physicians are now called “providers” and patients are “consumers.” Primary care doctors are buried with insurance paper work, checking the appropriate boxes, and using the right billing codes. Add to that, they…
According to a recent AARP report, 40 million Americans are family caregivers. They collectively provide 37 billion hours of unpaid caregiving each year, estimated to be valued at a whopping $470 billion. The average American caregiver is 49 years old,…
In 2010, people 65 and older accounted for 13 percent of the U.S. population. However, demographics are changing quickly. Those 85 and above are projected to number 72 million in 2030, constituting 20 percent of all Americans. The elderly’s demands…
Our country just experienced a kumbaya week with Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. Some of his most powerful words dealt with the respect for the sanctity of life. I argue that our legislators and by extension, our public health…
In the next decade, our nation will be defined by how we grapple with escalating health care costs. Today, health care comprises 18 percent of GDP in the U.S. If the current trajectory continues, health care costs are on a…
According to Dr. Michael H. Sacks, professor of psychiatry at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, “when patients kill themselves, it is a very painful and humbling experience for psychiatrists. A patient’s suicide punctures our therapeutic omnipotence and reminds us that…