Secret Blood Testing at Govt Hospital

So you still have not been convinced that a government run health system will be a bad thing? If you need more evidence, very current evidence, try this on for size.

The Pittsburgh Tribune Review has discovered that doctors at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Philadelphia had been drawing unauthorized blood samples from vets. The blood was to be used in studies that had not been approved by government authorities. Records released to the Tribune Review show that some 400 unauthorized samples were taken over an undisclosed period of time.

The VA investigated the issue after a vet questioned why an additional vile of blood was drawn for a routine exam. The investigation resulted in the suspension of an unnamed researcher for a two year period. The investigation also discloses that there was intimidation of staff and ‘problematic interpersonal relationships’. It also reveals that volunteers were improperly given access to patient-specific information. Is the VA not subject to HIPAA?

When the government is involved in a relatively small health care system this is a result. An impossible to manage monster that takes on a life of its own. This kind of misuse of patients is much less likely in a private setting. The hospital has an interest in keeping its good name. It has a vested interest in not get sued by abused patients. A scenario like this may not be impossible in the private sector but it surely is less likely. The health care industry protects patient records and information to the point of paranoia. This is the way it should be. When the government possesses these records we have no recourse to protect our privacy.

You want to have complete control over your population? Get them into a system like the V.A. Administration. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “One of the traditional ways to impose stateism or socialism on a people is through medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project” (Click here for the video of Reagan in 1961 in our earlier post.) What do you think? Post a comment!

Click here to read the entire article at the Tribune Review