House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), have sued President Barack Obama for what they claim was an abuse of executive authority when the president implemented the Affordable Care Act. According to the New York Times, the lawsuit accuses the Obama Administration of acting unilaterally and without Congressional authority in delaying the employer mandate provision of the […]

The post Republicans File Suit Against President Obama and Health Law first appeared on Physicians News.

By Arlene Switzer Steinfield Most group medical practices are subject to a variety of state and federal employment laws, depending on the number of employees.  While physicians logically assume that they are justified in terminating employees for such legitimate reasons as a demonstrated lack of adequate medical skills, other examples of poor performance, the inability to […]

The post Medical Practices Must Be Careful When Firing Incompetent Staff first appeared on Physicians News.

Most doctors are scared of guns.  We’re not referring to the actual use of firearms, but rather the mere discussion of guns. Are physicians allowed to talk to their patients about guns?  Is the topic medically relevant, particularly regarding mental health?  Will there be legal consequences if the patient is offended? While there are no […]

The post How Can Docs Talk To Patients About Guns Without Being Sued? first appeared on Physicians News.

As of today, Heathcare.gov is open for business.  Almost. The Obama administration announced that patients can begin Monday to shop and compare costs for health coverage in preparation for Open Enrollment, which begins November 15. “We are strongly encouraging our customers to return to HealthCare.gov, update their income and eligibility information, shop and compare and […]

The post Healthcare.gov Is Open And Ready For New Patients first appeared on Physicians News.

Obamacare is on the ropes again.  The Supreme Court of the United States agreed Friday to consider a new challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). At issue this time around is the validity of federal subsidies that are used to assist low and middle income Americans to purchase health insurance. “This is a law […]

The post Obamacare Headed Back To The U.S. Supreme Court first appeared on Physicians News.

By Jay Hancock Kaiser Health News Did you know the Affordable Care Act stands up for gun rights?  The “Protection of Second Amendment Gun Rights” section (page 19 in this PDF) says the health law’s wellness programs can’t require participants to give information about guns in the house. It also keeps the Department of Health and Human […]

The post The Gun Lobby’s Favorite Part of Obamacare first appeared on Physicians News.

By Harvey B. Lefton, MD With the senseless violence at the Sandy Hook elementary school we are once again plunged into a period of national grieving and “what ifs”.  All too often we have repeated this same process with the recent movie theater shootings in Aurora, Colorado, and the murders at the Sikh temple. In […]

The post Physician: Speak Out Against Gun Violence first appeared on Physicians News.

By Brad Broker While President Obama Sunday evening acknowledged that no law is capable of preventing all violence, he said “that can’t be an excuse for inaction.” At an interfaith vigil in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman Friday killed 20 first graders and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School, President Obama said that the […]

The post What Can Docs Do to Help Prevent Gun Violence? first appeared on Physicians News.

By Mary Agnes Carey Kaiser Health News The impending “fiscal cliff” is a package of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to kick in next month unless President Barack Obama and Capitol Hill agree on a way to stop them Negotiations to avert the cuts are ongoing and both sides have exchanged offers. The […]

The post How The ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Affects Health Care, Docs first appeared on Physicians News.

While recreational marijuana scored victories in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. on Election Day, one state was not able to garner enough support to allow physicians to prescribe cannabis for medicinal purposes. A majority of voters — 58 percent — approved Florida’s Amendment 2, which called for the use of marijuana for certain medical conditions. […]

The post Florida’s Medical Marijuana Effort Beats Governor, But Not Enough to Pass first appeared on Physicians News.