If you’ve been reading this blog over the past few weeks you’ve seen several comments about the criminality and confusion instituted by the Ohio legislature, the public utility sector or the Governor. Governor Mike DeWine (pronounced “de-weeny”) is a weak lad who goes along to get along. He’s known for saying as little as possible and always can be found in the middle of the road. We think that kind of leadership provides fertile ground for the weeds that grow in his backyard. Here’s the latest crop:
- There have been 18 mass shootings in Ohio in 2024. The state has always been a friend to the National Rifle Association which funded long-time US Senator Sherrod Brown’s recent election loss to Bernie Moreno. Moreno ( a political “newbie”) has been criticized for past behaviors but the NRA stepped in and–in this very red state–was able to tip the scales to an inexperienced and possibly damaged individual.
- The State Legislature has now passed a law requiring hospitals to reveal their charges for every service available in each system. The problems: (1) prices are negotiated with each insurance company and various state and Federal insurers (Medicare and Medicaid) so private contracts will now be shared among competitors. This invasion of the private sector will impact negotiations and hospitals will be pressured to give all insurers the biggest discount negotiated by any insurance company; (2) It will reveal costs at various competing hospitals and spotlight the cheapest while disregarding quality of care issues; (3) it will cause some patients to change doctors to be able to access hospitals with the lowest rates; (4) it may cause some hospitals to discontinue specific services because they cannot provide the cheapest care–leaving some rural communities without adequate access to care; and (6) this is another huge admin headache because hospitals typically have over 8,000 listed prices on their compendium of charges and these change almost daily as suppliers change prices, services are added or eliminated, insurance company contracts are re-negotiated, etc. In short, this is an idea that was not well thought out but looks good to the voter. It won’t work.
- File this under the heading “medical absurdity”…the state legislature is now considering a bill that requires comatose patients to give their consent before any medical student touches them in an intimate area. Now we ask you “how will that happen?” How does an unconscious patient give consent? This situation is supposedly addressing the training of a medical student who must examine an intimate part of the body. (1) as mentioned above, how can consent be given? (2) how can an unconscious person signal consent? (3) if training is involved isn’t a medical professional (MD or nurse) present for such training? Isn’t that sufficient? (4) when a person is admitted, isn’t a signed treatment form sufficient for any necessary bodily intrusion; (5) if the exam is based on acceptable medical protocols why is it necessary to make any law on this contact? There are other questions that come to mind. We think this is just another C(over) Y(our) A(ss) legal move to protect the hospital from some patient some day accusing some medical student of touching some part of their body without their consent. To add to the confusion and support this ridiculous bill, Ohio newspapers ran a story written by a medical student who fully supports the bill. She opines “Senate Bill 109 reassures all of us that we are doing the right thing”. That makes no sense to us. Passing a law allowing you to do anything doesn’t prove that you are acting medically in the best interest of a patient. Doesn’t the State Legislature have more important business than to cater to hospital attorney’s fears of what might never happen? really–consent from a comatose patient…what constitutes “consent”? I’ll bet you’re smiling now.
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