Government oversight in medical profession
Tom Ault
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
I recently wrote an article regarding government oversight in the pharmaceutical world. Continuing along that line of thought, what about the government’s meddling in areas where they should have very little involvement? For instance, telling the medical doctors what to do and what to charge.
Today I discovered doctors are divided into two groups. One group of doctors who don’t use hospitals, unless pushed into doing so, as they would rather devote their time to giving out advice and pills that might cure their patients with hospital care. The other group prefers to spend their time working at the hospital actually treating patients.
This has not always been the case. When I was a kid several years ago, we had two family doctors. One was a retired Army colonel who was a surgeon and medical doctor, the other a medical doctor, not from the military. Both were highly respected in our community, both were surgeons, home physicians, mentors, hospital visitors, and had offices that operated with, would you believe, one nurse who was also the receptionist? (No tons of ridiculous paper work, ins. forms etc.)
These men were dedicated to their profession. They were not controlled by some governmental agency and told what they could or could not do to treat their patients. Today the doctor is basically given permission by the medical association, or the insurance company, or by some government agency as to what they can or cannot do. (Much of that permission appears to be based on money rather than value.)
It is time for the government to govern and quit spending more and more time and money in areas they have no business whatsoever. If we wanted them as parents we would have (discharged) our birth parents a long time ago!
Luetkemeyer’s support for Alzheimer’s disease
Jennifer Rackers
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s disease. The only leading cause of death in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed, it is imperative that we have elected officials who are working to make Alzheimer’s a national priority.
As an Alzheimer’s Association advocate, I was fortunate to meet with U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer to discuss the staggering impact of Alzheimer’s in Missouri and across the nation. In a meeting at his district office, my fellow advocates and I shared our own personal experience with this devastating disease.
The 116th Congress recently reintroduced the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) and I want to thank Luetkemeyer for quickly co-sponsoring PCHETA — this was an outstanding demonstration of his support for this bi-partisan legislation. PCHETA would increase palliative care and hospice training for health care professionals, launch a national campaign to inform patients and families about the benefits of palliative care, and enhance research on improving the delivery of palliative care. As a health-care professional, I believe it’s important as the demand for such coordinated care grows with the aging population, more must be done to improve their quality of life and care.
Please join me in thanking Luetkemeyer for his continue support in the fight to end Alzheimer’s, and we look forward to visiting you on the Hill on April 2!
Hyper-loop a lame-brained idea
Clayton Hill
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
The thought that a special train that would travel 600 mph between Kansas City and Saint Louis, is the most lame-brained idea entertained by the Legislature in recent times. Any tax money or time spent on even a study for a hyper-loop train is a total disregard of responsibility and not what taxpayers sent the representatives to do this or any session. This State can’t even take care of the existing roads and bridges. Taxpayer funded Amtrak can’t break even and is seldom full or fully dependable. If anything, people wanting to leave either city core would not want to go to the other — most just want to get out of the crime and drug ridden areas to safe suburbs, or out of town completely. And, this day and age, with current smart technologies, in-person interface is not necessary anyway. Just like the port issue and the huge cost of the community park, spend tax money to make consultants and special interests rich at the expense of the majority with little or no use or benefit.