Posted on 08/05/2013 8:40:00 AM PDT by jazusamo
Physicians have no business interrogating patients about their guns
In the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict, President Obama and other anti-gun advocates have called for changing Florida’s pro-Second Amendment laws. Their chances of getting the “stand your ground” statute overturned are slim, but the anti-gun groups are making significant progress in the Sunshine State in allowing activist doctors to push their agenda to disarm families.
A federal appeals court heard oral arguments on July 18 in the case that has become known as “Docs vs. Glocks.” The issue before the court is whether a patient’s right to privacy and protection from doctors who ask inappropriate political questions about what firearms are in the family home trumps the health care providers’ rights to ask and to keep records of whatever they want.
The Firearm Owners Privacy Act, which Gov. Rick Scott signed into law in June 2011, says that doctors should not ask families about whether they own guns. But if they choose to do so, and a patient feels the doctor has harassed or discriminated against them, he can file a complaint with the medical board so that the doctor’s peers can decide if the accusation is legitimate.
“The wording in the law is ‘should refrain,’” Florida Solicitor General Allen Winsor told the justices of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to The Associated Press.”It’s not mandating anything. It’s recommending. The use of the term is critical in this case.”
The issue came about after repeated cases surfaced of children being asked by doctors if there was a gun in the home. During the legislative process, one mother said her pediatrician refused to continue treating her child if she did not respond to questions about firearms at home.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
In a completely unrelated development, all medical records are to be stored electronically and made accessible to the Federal government. So medical records would be as good as a registry.
Just a coinky-dink, I’m sure...
The onlly proper answer to this question is “None of your damn business”.
Keep this in mind when you are tempted to be a smart ass or even threatening--bad, bad idea. that could go down on your medical record, too.
Absolutely, that’s mentioned and the Brady Campaign tried to poo poo it in court.
Has anybody ever just grabbed their medical file from the Doc’s office and left?
Oh, I know they insist “you can’t do that!”, but it’s not true.
So "should refrain" is not an order, but "we don't need you to do that" is?
I tried that when we moved from one state to another. They would not give it to me, said they would send it to my new Doc when requested from s/he. I said I wanted it to take to them myself, they still wouldn’t give it to me. I suppose I could have eventually gotten it by fighting but they know full well most people won’t because they send it to the new Doc.
Don’t think for a minute that your private medical records under Obamacare won’t end up in a government data base and be used for your “background check” to purchase or own a firearm. Feeling depressed at the loss of a loved one and getting a short term anti-depressant prescription...no guns for you. Taking a prescription medication that in rare instances from some obscure government study might cause you to have suicidal thoughts...no guns for you. I can even see gun grabbing goon squads just showing up at your door because of something in your medical records the government deems might cause you to be a “risk”. The Second Amendment might be another victim of Obamacare.
NOYFB is better. And they can ask all the questions they want. There is no guarantee that any response is a) truthful or b) accurate.
I believe that on consent forms you can specify who does NOT get your medical records. It would be interesting to find out what happens if you object to the feds getting your medical information. Looks like this case decides you can’t object.
However, HIPAA is still in force and the doctor could be sued if he gives out your medical information to the feds. I spoke to a Medicare rep and she was unaware of the contradiction, nor what doctors will wind up doing.
And to the NSA trolls, FU.
you can grab the paper... doesn’t mean you’ve grabbed the ‘file’
your ‘file’ is a set of electronic records in a national database
consider lying about your name to confuse any record keeping. of course, any blood taken can be sequenced... which results in your national id... otherwise known as your DNA
Doctor asks questions, simply do what Obama would do. LIE.How could this administration disagree with that?
Ah. So the doctor writes, "This person is angry because he cussed at me. And because he didn't say he didn't, he clearly has guns in the house. Suggest SWAT get over to his house and bust down the door before he uses those guns."
“In due time enough people will simply start shooting doctors who ask questions like this and that’ll squelch this BS faster than any poorly written law.”
I understand the emotion behind your statement but do you really want to make this statement?
I prefer to follow the suggested quote of the director of NSA in his appearance before Congress ,
and offer " the least untruthful answer " , and let them figure it out for themselves.
Lie to the doctor, then stop using him. Pretty simple to me.Lots, if not most doctors are firearms owners/sportsmen who won’t ask.
The poster stated a 3rd-person extrapolation so really, nobody G-A-F.
“..The onlly proper answer to this question is “None of your damn business”....”
Actually, the ONLY proper answer is “No, why would you ask that?” with a slight air of indigence.
Saying “none of your damn business” automatically implies you DO own, and the doc writes it up as such.
Giving up ANY information does you no good.
If they want that information so badly let THEM go digging for it in the databases that they’re not supposed to have.
“I understand the emotion behind your statement but do you really want to make this statement?”
Yes, I do. And it isn’t ‘emotion’ on my part, it’s just logic. Once SWAT raids start following on after people visit doctors who insist on asking these questions it won’t take people long to connect the dots between the doctor and the SWAT team that busts in their door at 3am in the morning, shoots the dog, and then ransacks the house looking for legally owned firearms.
In the Revolutionary War it wasn’t just British soldiers who incurred the wrath of Americans but the tax collectors and bureaucrats who gave those soldiers their target lists.
If some doctors decide to come down on the wrong side of liberty then they’ll have picked sides and they’ll have to deal with consequences of violating their oath of, “First, do no harm.”
If their questions cause harm to people then they’ll deserve whatever happens to them as a consequence of those actions.
Bear in mind, I’m not saying that I’ll do any such thing nor am I encouraging it. I’m just saying that the results of this BS will be absolutely predictable especially in Florida where certain of their ethnic groups are noted for dispensing their own unique forms of justice.
My advice to Florida doctors who just can’t help but ask such questions is to find a new career or perhaps move to a state where they’re less likely to have problems. Massachussetts is a good place for statists.
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