Wednesday, February 27, 2013

More in The American Spectator: this time my thoughts on an aspect of Obamacare

This morning, The American Spectator is publishing my web article about the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). I specifically touch on that body's findings last year about prostate cancer screening.

As readers of this website know, I am a mild-mannered urologic surgeon by day and an occasional intrepid blogger and free-lance writer by night. Here in Montana, as is true in most parts of the country, we urologists are in short supply and have more work than we can handle, so I don't view the USPSTF's findings as an existential threat to my profession in the way that some of my more counterparts in saturated urban markets do. Any doctor who doesn't want to find that certain tests and treatments are unnecessary -- well, let's just say that is someone I wouldn't want to be my doctor. I disagree that prostate cancer screening is unnecessary, but I do believe that treatment should be done more selectively.

The larger point, and the reason I chose to write about it, is that this is an example of a government agency having some correct information but drawing the kind of wrong conclusion that only an impersonal committee can. Anyway, welcome to medical care dictated by impersonal committees. With Obamacare we will only get more of the same -- unless, of course, "we" are elites (like the President) who will be exempt from its strictures.

Here is the link -- enjoy!

1 comment:

Ed Kemmick said...

Interesting article. It's hard to disagree with the idea that Leviathan will probably make a lousy doctor. It's also depressing to see that the American Spectator has a stable of online commenters every bit as stupid and inane as those who comment under stories at the Gazette.