Thinking about health: Who comes between you and your doctor?

How many times have you heard politicians say that no bureaucrat should come between you and your doctor? You and your physician should decide when you need to go to the hospital or when you might want to wait out that cold before taking an antibiotic. At least that’s been the American ideal of the doctor-patient relationship.

The reality is something very different. We are reaching a crossroads in this country in terms of physician autonomy, says Dr. Luis Collar who writes on the blog KevinMD.com. In an essay a couple of weeks ago he wrote: “Despite the foul smog of competing interests...