Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: State Medical Boards

March 14, 2024 11:20 AM - Season 11, Episode 4

This week.... Kamala Harris appeared to call for a cease fire in Gaza... but then qualified it by adding "for the next six weeks." Trump endorses North Carolina Republican candidate for Governor Mark Robinson by calling him, inexplicably, "Martin Luther King on steroids." And Now: C-SPAN Callers Show Once Again Why They're America At Its Best. Main story: state medical boards, the organizations whose job it is to issue, suspend and revoke licenses to practice medicine in each state. These boards tend to be underfunded, but also are often composed entirely of doctors, who can be biased in their judgements on behalf of their colleagues, a phenomenon called "the white coat code of silence." On Youtube (23 minutes). And Now: People On TV Love To Talk About Their Big Fuckin' Heads.

F.37: "Hittum Snoozum," DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

posted by JHarris (5 comments total)

Regulatory capture at its best.
posted by Marticus at 2:50 PM on March 14

Trump endorses North Carolina Republican candidate for Governor Mark Robinson by calling him, inexplicably, "Martin Luther King on steroids."

I submit that basically everything TFG says or does can be characterized as “inexplicably.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:13 PM on March 14 [1 favorite]

Reminds me of my friend telling me about the guy who operated on her as a baby, caused her to have a stroke at a few months old, and his career continued for a lot longer after that.
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:01 PM on March 15

Medical boards and bar associations are Exhibits A and B for Why Self Policing Doesn't Work. There are too many incentives for the organizations to turn a blind eye to abuses and bad practice out of a sense of "there but for the grace of God go I."
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:35 PM on March 15

Almost 20 years ago I covered the state medical board here in Florida. Cases dragged forever, meaning problem doctors could continue practicing for months/years before they were officially disciplined, and even when they were, penalties were light. I wrote about it again and again.

And of course medical boards like everything else are becoming increasingly partisan. Florida's is appointed by the governor, and so what do you think happened when a complaint was filed against the state Surgeon General that he appointed, on the basis that the doctor's anti-vaccination stance was a violation of medical ethics?

If you guessed nothing, congratulations, you know your Florida.
posted by martin q blank at 2:19 PM on March 16 [2 favorites]