Doctors should have right to ask you about your guns

[MikePapa1]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/fl-doctors-guns-julian-ruling-0704-20120705,0,5205935.story

I don't necessarily disagree with this opinion. It's equally my right to refuse to see a doctor who asks such questions. I noticed the 1 in 25 statistic used again without the noting on how many of those are accidental as opposed to intentional. Also, I'd be surprised if many of the doctors ask to offer "gun safety" advice. My doctor and I regularly discuss guns but only because I carry when I go in and he's curious about what I'm carrying now.

[DaveTN]

I don’t want the law involved in my healthcare anymore than it already is. My Doctor can ask anything he wants and I will answer honestly. But I don’t have to; I can give him any answer I like. And I assume that unless it is an emergency he can decided if he wants to be my Doctor anymore or not.

[Dolomite_supafly]

There is no law that says you have to tell your doctor the truth regarding issues unrelated to your healthcare.

I am fortunate in that the doctor I see most often is a gun guy. We shoot together and talk about guns regularly. He is a great doctor who is worried more about treating people than seeing how many appointments he can make in a day.

Dolomite

[Garufa]

If it becomes common practice and 30+ million people all of a sudden have insurance, you may not have another choice of doctors.

[Hotrod]

I don't think a doctor should ask if you own guns. The doctor could be anti-gun. It is really no one's business.

[Mark@Sea]

He can ask about guns. He can ask about fire insurance, for all I care. Unless he hangs a shingle from a gunsmithing school or shooting school on the wall of his office, I will treat it as I would any other nosy busybodys' question. Answer may range from silence to completely outrageous.

[dats82]

I don't understand why this topic gets so much attention. Maybe I am missing something, but what does it matter if your doc asks about it or not? You can answer or not. It has been my experience that the vast majority of docs either don't really care or actually pro-gun themselves. I just don't really understand what the issue is.

[3gundave]

My doctor has a carry permit.

[Spook]

"Just say, No"

[Guest adurbin]

Boy, that's about as liberally biased an article as you are going to see. Several points thrown in that have no relevance to the topic at hand, but are definitely relevant to the apparent agenda and tone of the author.. Wow. And I would very quickly tell a doctor where they could go if they asked about my guns.

[jtmaze]

Just thinking it might become a health insurance issue of the future. Own guns more likely to be shot or hurt.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

[seez52]

Pediatric nurse practitioner asked one time several years ago when I took my boy in for a visit. Wanted to know if we had guns in the house. I told her we didn't answer questions like that, she moved on.

[Spook]

Just thinking it might become a health insurance issue of the future. Own guns more likely to be shot or hurt.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

I understand your point and it is a good one but I see it as being more likely to be safe in my home/car/wherever I am.

[jtmaze]

I agree 100%. Unfortunately everyone doesn't see it that way.

JTM

Sent from my iPhone

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I don't think a doctor should ask if you own guns. The doctor could be anti-gun. It is really no one's business.

That's their whole premise. If they aren't anti gun, there will be more of those useful idiots for the anti's(commies)

to utilize. Pro or anti, doesn't matter.

[TMF]

The doctor can ask whatever he/she wants. This story mentions, however, that the doctor in Ocala refused treatment of a child because the child's mother refused to answer his question regarding gun ownership. Where does that end? Surely there is recourse within the medical community for a doctor that refuses to treat a child based on not answering personal questions that the patient feels has nothing to do with treatment. Sounds very unethical to me.

[daddyo]

Now that the healthcare mandate has been ruled constitutional by the SCOTUS, what else will the gubmit be able to force you to do? What's to stop them from making it illegal to withhold this kind of information from your physician and attaching a "penalty" to it?

The government now has the power to force you to comply with just about anything. Don't want an electric car? Tough, pay a tax. Don't want to change your eating habits? Tough, pay a tax. Don't want solar panels on your house? Tough.

You get the idea.

[peejman]

I turn the tables on them.... My kids' pediatrician asked if we had guns in the house.... "Of course I do, don't you?" On a later visit, I noticed that one of the nurses in the office wears her ID on a Glock lanyard.

[UncleJak]

I just avoid doctors and the problem is solved...

[JayC]

I don't understand why this topic gets so much attention. Maybe I am missing something, but what does it matter if your doc asks about it or not? You can answer or not. It has been my experience that the vast majority of docs either don't really care or actually pro-gun themselves. I just don't really understand what the issue is.

The issue is because obamacare requires the use of online and linked electronic medical records. So by asking this question you doctor is in effect posting whether you own firearms to an online website which the government has access to....

And it's not just limited to questions about firearms that should concern you.

[Dolomite_supafly]

My doctor has a carry permit.

Doesn't mean a thing.

I know a group of ladies who all have their HCP. They do not own a single gun. They said they got them to try to impress people as they order their drinks at a local bar. My wife even invited them to shoot but they didn't seem to interested in the idea of handling another gun.

Dolomite

[dats82]

The doctor can ask whatever he/she wants. This story mentions, however, that the doctor in Ocala refused treatment of a child because the child's mother refused to answer his question regarding gun ownership. Where does that end? Surely there is recourse within the medical community for a doctor that refuses to treat a child based on not answering personal questions that the patient feels has nothing to do with treatment. Sounds very unethical to me.

There are some qualifiers that go with this, but basically, in non-life threatening situations, a doc can refuse to treat any patient for any reason as long as there is not previously established care. The more common practice is that doctors will refuse patients based on insurance status or what insurance you have. If the scenario is that a pt comes in on a first visit with no emergent problems, for whatever reason, the doc has the right to say, "Nope, I don't want this patient in my practice." If care is established, the doc will usually send a certified letter to the patient stating he can no longer provide care to the patient, and they will have 30 days to find a new doctor. Otherwise, it would be considered abandoning the patient, which is very much illegal.

Is it unethical? Perhaps, depending on what the decision is based on. Is it illegal? No

[Bassoneer]

Last time I went to my doctor a few months ago we started talking about guns and he said that he has a Ruger of some sort and that he is starting to get into guns. I asked if he had a carry permit and he said that we was going to look into it. I like my doctor. B

[dats82]

The issue is because obamacare requires the use of online and linked electronic medical records. So by asking this question you doctor is in effect posting whether you own firearms to an online website which the government has access to....

And it's not just limited to questions about firearms that should concern you.

So you don't think the government already knows you own firearms? You are posting in a gun forum, you have probably had a background check for a new gun, and you might have a permit.

I completely agree that the government does not need to be involved or know anything else about my life, but this issue just seems to be kind of inflated. If you are worried about answering questions, just tell them no. By the way, when is the linked EMR requirement going into effect? I am completely unaware of such requirement, and I work in medicine. Such a requirement would be in blatant violation of HIPAA laws. Not saying that doesn't mean it won't happen; we all know the government isn't known for following the rules. However, I would think it would cause more of a stir within the medical community.

[TMF]

Is it unethical? Perhaps, depending on what the decision is based on. Is it illegal? No

I never suggested that it should be illegal, but certainly would be unethical. I believe that a doc has the right to "dump" a patient, however, even if the patient is suffering from a non-life threatening ailment I would think it would be unethical unless the reasons were just, such as policies on insurance or the patient being a disturbance or threat to staff or other patients or the patient is a script junkie.

I understand the angle that the doctor was going for here; if there are guns in the house then the children are at a greater risk of gun related injuries. But that has nothing to do with the doctor. One could reason that kids that live in a trailer are more likely to be exposed to meth, but I would think it unethical to refuse treatment if a patient doesn't want to discuss their living conditions with the doctor, unless it is relevant to an existing ailment (i.e. the existance of lead paint or toxic chemicals that could contribute to symptoms being presented).

To me this is highly unethical. I don't see how the medical community could support this practice. It's one thing to ask; it's completely another to deny treatment for refusal to answer an irrelevant and imposing question.