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The first letter May 18, 2000 xxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx I was shocked to learn that a person has to have a doctors prescription to get a blood test in this state. Who’s brilliant idea was that? Let me guess, A doctors. So I have to pay some doctors boat payment just to get my cholesterol checked? Let me guess. I’ll bet after the test you; the payee, don’t to get to see the results, they are sent to the doctor. So it is going to cost me a minimum of $200 to check my cholesterol! How absurd. Are there a lot of doctors in the legislature? Maybe they just contribute a lot. Are we afraid of blood test junkies roaming the streets? This is as stupid as requiring a mechanic to test the tire pressure on your car, or has that been tried? Lets do the people of Oregon a break and change this idiotic law. It doesn’t seem to be a problem in other states so what is the deal? -------------------- Things progressed -------------------- To xxxxx State Rep December 4, 2000 My last correspondence concerning this bill was a phone call to a 'lawyer' named Linda Wah [or something like that] 503 986-1243. Actually I was a couple of days late getting back to her as I was looking for the paper where I wrote everything down so I left a message on her "voice-mail" but I suspect the issue is dead. Linda wanted me to check on available laboratories and of course the only ones available are the ones associated with a hospital and they won't test any ones blood without a doctors orders. 'duh' I finally talked to a place in Eugene (I still haven't found my paper on who exactly I talked to) who finally at first adamantly told me it was a Federal Law. Interesting. They finally indicated it was some kind of accreditation for the lab and not a law against getting your blood tested.
There is defiantly something pretty weird going on with this. I went up to Anchorage to visit my mother and while I was there I went in and had my blood tested for 48 different things (I can provide a copy if you want). I have no strange urges to get my blood tested again. I have no overpowering feelings of need to take massive quantities of prescription or non-prescription drugs to compensate for any perceived illness or deficiency. Also, among the tests (all for under $200) was a Guic test. This test can be taken in place of a rectal exam costing maybe $1000 and is %95 accurate where as a rectal exam is %98. 'My' doctor in Oregon wanted me to have a "rectal". Doesn’t it make sense to do what’s cheap first?
There is another thing, I added these figures to a spread sheet containing years of blood tests results and any trends or chronic problems tend to jump out at you. Do I know that? Probably not but I can hand it to my doctor or in this case mail it to my doctor and they can tell at a glance many things that a single test will never tell. Does my doctor put all his patients blood testes on a spread sheet? No, and neither does any other doctor but they will be the first to tell you how helpful it is and at no extra cost to you/me.
But in the state of Oregon we are denied this simple self help item along with hundreds of other possible benefits of knowing what is going on with ones own body.
Isn’t government wonderful? If my name was ‘Gates’ or ‘Bush’ or ‘Kennedy’ this would been resolved yesterday instead of some ditsy lawyers giving you the run around until you give up.
I want to thank you for helping anyway, it is certainly an education. Let me tell you the difference as a true representative of the people between you and Susan Morgan is night and day. Thanks --------------- An outline I wrote for myself ------------------------------- Blood Testing 1. If I walk into a doctors office and I already have a blood test, it is possible I have already saved myself a return visit. 2. I have successive blood tests from years back on a spreadsheet. It could be extremely helpful in a diagnosis. No doctors office either has access to or would ever take the time to do that. 3. I could get a blood test here and send it to a specialists somewhere else. {This is what I wanted to do. I have a Chiropractor (D.C., C.C.S.P., D.A.B.C.I.) in Alaska who took additional training to make blood analysis & nutrition a speciality. 4. I’ll bet a blood test at a laboratory would cost a whole lot less than one done at a medical facility associated with a hospital. 5. If I pay for it, then it should belong to me. 6. Are we afraid of blood test junkies running around getting high on blood testing? 7. Are we afraid of self diagnosis? We all self diagnose to some degree now anyway. What would be so wrong if I noticed my iron was low that I included a little liver in my diet? 8. Some conditions could be cured or at least helped without doctor intervention a. If a person is already doing something for health reasons, be it a diet or supplements, knowing what blood test results were might flag a warning that the desired result is or isn’t happening. 9. Certain tests may be deemed more desirable than what a doctor may prescribe. e.g. a stool smear is 95% accurate at detecting blood in the colon whereas a sigmoidostomy is 98%. One costs over one thousand dollars and the other costs under twenty-five. 10. Some states, e.g. Alaska, Utah; hold annual health fairs where basic blood tests are offered to the public at large with the option of having the blood test results mailed either to their doctor or to their home. a. The law says: You may not practice medicine without a license. 677.085 What constitutes practice of medicine. A person is practicing ··· (2) ···, give or administer any drug or medicine for the use of any other person. Sounds like aspirin to me. (4) Offer or undertake to diagnose, cure or treat in any manner, or by any means, methods, devices or instrumentalities, [Band-aids?] any ···, wound,··· of any person. 11. Nobody should ever blindly accept what a doctor or anyone else tells them concerning their own health. 12. For years, doctors told us not to take herbal medicines because they were ineffective and a waste of money. Now doctors tell us not to take them because they are too strong. What changed? 13. I recently went back to Alaska for a visit. While I was there I had some extensive blood testing done. I don’t know what 95% of the results mean, but I sent them to someone who does and that should be my right. 14. Cancer patients are encouraged to take an active part in their treatment. Interest in what your blood chemistry is, sounds active to me. I don’t know why it should be limited to cancer patients. |