Want Free Health Care? Commit a Crime

Every time I finish my office hours at the hospital, I am exhausted by all the hoops I have to jump through in order to get some of the procedures, medications or counseling that I feel are necessary for my patients. Insurance companies have created a very difficult screen to get some legitimate work done when patients need it.

For instance, I may have a diabetic patient whom I want to see a nutritionist and most insurance companies won't pay for a nutritionist. Or I may have a patient with chronic back pain who I feel should be getting physical therapy, which may also not be covered by insurance. And it's not the patient's fault. Many patients choose insurance companies out of economic needs, or sometimes they don't even realize the limitations in their choice of health care insurance provider.

As I researched this topic to try and find solutions to our health care dilemma, I was shocked to find the only people in this country who have a constitutional right to health care services are prison inmates.

Now, I agree that prison inmates are people too, and they need the necessary medical services to make sure their health is protected, but on the other hand, I have read several articles where unnecessary and elective procedures that are performed on these inmates without checks and balances, and certainly, all at the expense of the taxpayer.

One particular case that I thought was just incredible was the case of a rapist who was sent to prison after molesting an 8-year-old girl. While in prison, a psychiatrist diagnosed him with "gender identity disorder," a diagnosis that made him eligible for treatments to help change his sex a• and you guessed it a• on the backs of working Americans.

As I said before, this madness has to stop. Yes, we need to focus on preventative health care, less ordering of unnecessary tests and increasing the number of primary care doctors in this country a• BUT, what is going on today is not a step in the right direction.