Kentucky Law Targets Doctors Who Have Worked Against Coal Companies in Black Lung Cases

[luckyshot]

A new Kentucky law would require a highly specialized and rare certification in order for a doctor to testify in a black lung worker’s compensation trial.

Only 6 doctors have this certification in Kentucky. One is retired and four work for coal companies.

Just another fucking day in GOP America.

But tell me again about how both sides are the same, please.

 

[jrams]

Sounds like asbestos. I don't get why this isn't covered by OSHA.

 

[nostradumbass]

Who said both sides are the same?

The guy said they "have a history" of working for coal companies, not that they're current employees. I don't know what that means exactly and limiting the number of people qualified to testify seems a little stupid, but it's also silly think these guys would perjure themselves to cover for their ex-employers. Also seems like a pretty nice opening for more pulmonologists to come in and get a ton of patients.

 

[Der Eisbär]

God damn that is so fucked up

 

[Trotsky]

Who said both sides are the same?

A lot of people. All the time. When they can't, or have too great a conscience to, defend objectively corrupt and indefensible GOP policy, they defer to "well, Democrats aren't any better" or "but Hillary."

The Democrats are not perfect, but they are much, much, much better than the GOP, which is growingly cartoonish in their caricature of corruption, alliteration notwithstanding.

And they can get away with it. As long as they insist on fear mongering about blacks and illegals, Republican lawmakers will keep getting elected in Kentucky.

 

[jrams]

The text (from what I can see)

b. The commissioner shall assign the claim to an administrative law judge and[, except for coal workers' pneumoconiosis claims,] shall promptly refer the employee to[ such physician or medical facility as the commissioner may select for examination.] a duly qualified "B" reader physician who is licensed in the Commonwealth and is a board-certified pulmonary specialist as set forth pursuant to Section 8 of this Act and subsection (1) of Section 17 of this Act. The report from this examination shall be provided to all parties of record. The employee shall not be referred by the commissioner for examination within two (2) years following any prior referral for examination for the same disease.

c. The commissioner shall develop a procedure to annually audit the performance of physicians and facilities that are selected to perform examinations pursuant to this section. The audit shall include an evaluation of the physician and facility with respect to the timeliness and completeness of the reports and the frequency at which the physician's classification of an X-ray differs from those of the other physicians of that X-ray. The commissioner shall remove a physician or facility from selection consideration if the physician or facility consistently renders incomplete or untimely reports or if the physician's interpretations of X-rays are not in conformity with the readings of other physicians of record at least fifty percent (50%) of the time. The report required under this subdivision shall be provided to the Interim Joint Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment on or before July 1, 2019, and on or before July 1 of each year thereafter.

(1) For workers who have had injuries or occupational hearing loss, the commissioner shall contract with the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville medical schools to evaluate workers. For workers who have[ had injuries or] become affected by occupational diseases, the commissioner shall contract with the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville medical schools, or other physicians otherwise duly qualified as "B" readers who are licensed in the Commonwealth and are board-certified pulmonary specialists[ covered by this chapter]. Referral for evaluation may be made[ to one (1) of the medical schools] whenever a medical question is at issue.

https://legiscan.com/KY/text/HB2/2018

To my uneducated reading, it looks like doctorbs from UK or Louisville can be used too.
edit: too tired to read good

 

[ocfightfan]

What we really need to do is decolonize science.

 

[KONG-D'SNT-TAP]

Republicans are scum. What don’t you people get by now. If they really had their way this country would be decimated

 

[7437]

Who said both sides are the same?

Lots of people, in nearly every thread here

 

[Quipling]

Who said both sides are the same?

The guy said they "have a history" of working for coal companies, not that they're current employees. I don't know what that means exactly and limiting the number of people qualified to testify seems a little stupid, but it's also silly think these guys would perjure themselves to cover for their ex-employers.

Why would they be at risk of perjuring themselves? They can just refuse to testify as expert witnesses for any plaintiff, making the case DOA.

 

[Joe]

I saw this earlier. Sounds like republicans alright. Its what the people vote for.

 

[nostradumbass]

For me any both sides are just as bad argument went out the window when repubs backed Roy Moore. Cant get any lower than endorsement.

Nobody endorsed having sex with kids, and the guy wasn't even accused of having sex with any of them when he apparently met them 40 years ago, and he was a democrat until 20 years ago btw. Anthony Weiner fires off cock shots to underage kids. Eliot Spitzer was using campaign funds to take young hookers to hotels, Barnie Frank was running a gay brothel out of his apartment.

A lot of people. All the time. When they can't, or have too great a conscience to, defend objectively corrupt and indefensible GOP policy, they defer to "well, Democrats aren't any better" or "but Hillary."

The Democrats are not perfect, but they are much, much, much better than the GOP, which is growingly cartoonish in their caricature of corruption, alliteration notwithstanding.

And they can get away with it. As long as they insist on fear mongering about blacks and illegals, Republican lawmakers will keep getting elected in Kentucky.

Democrats aren't any better, but that doesn't mean they're the same thing. They're both immoral and crappy in some of the same ways and in a lot of different ways.

 

[nostradumbass]

Why would they be at risk of perjuring themselves? They can just refuse to testify as expert witnesses for any plaintiff, making the case DOA.

On what grounds would the court excuse them from testifying?

 

[nostradumbass]

Err.... the democrats kicked those guys out of their party once they were exposed. The RNC withdrew then reinstated funds to an accused child molester (14 year old girl says she was molested = - split hairs on the semantics all you want but it doesnt reflect well on your character). Hardly an equivalency.

Accused is not convicted and some found it suspicious that this girl makes a claim 40 years later. And the left most certainly did defend Anthony Weiner until he was convicted, and many still wrote off his sexting with a minor as no big deal. Monica Lewinsky was barely drinking age when Clinton was using his authority to cram cigars into her vag, and he certainly was not thrown out of the party and there was proof of that.

 

[nostradumbass]

Did I not give them for most of my first post?