18. War on Women 2

We talked about the US Preventive Services Task Force guidelines issued in
November 2009 that would decrease screening mammography in women by 60-
75% and how that would potentially cost thousands of women their lives. Here’s
more of the story:

When the guidelines were released—even before Obamacare was passed—there
was an enormous outcry—from doctors, patients, husbands, sisters, brothers,
even politicians. Every person in this country is affected in one way or other
by breast cancer or knows someone who has been. The panel of government-
appointed bureaucrats who had made up the guidelines did not include a single
practicing physician that specializes in breast disease. Not one. These new
guidelines completely contradicted those of the Komen Society and the American
Cancer Society, as well as all of the specialty medical societies that deal with
breast cancer. So Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
quietly put a new provision into Obamacare. It says that Obamacare will abide by
the 2002 task force guidelines instead. They didn’t openly discredit or eliminate
the 2009 guidelines, they just tabled them. Why would they do that? Do you
think they’re waiting until after the election? Or until the rest of the law is in
force in 2014-- when we can’t get rid of it anymore?

In Obamacare, I as a physician will be required to abide by all of the guidelines
set up by these task forces. If I disagree with the guidelines, and issue my
own recommendations I will be punished: I will not be paid, and if I’m really
naughty, I could be fined or barred from seeing government program and state
exchange insurance patients. These guidelines will force me as a physician to
make a choice: do I do what the government tells me, or do I do what I know to
be right for my patients as individuals? The government makes decisions for
populations, I make decisions for individual patients. I don’t treat Democrats or
Republicans, Catholics or Atheists. I treat people. Government doesn’t spend
29 years in education and training to be a physician like I did. Government isn’t
held accountable for its healthcare recommendations..…I AM. Government
won’t suffer because your disease wasn’t diagnosed or treated—YOU WILL.

(Note: This commentary is by Dr. Jill Vecchio.)