HHS Puts Doctor Snoop Plan on the Back-Burner

By Doug Powers  •  June 28, 2011 10:15 PM

**Written by Doug Powers

On Monday we talked about the HHS plan to employ “mystery shoppers” to pose as patients looking for primary care doctors to help determine which doctors turn away patients with government health plans that pay lower reimbursement rates. Somehow this was supposed to help solve a doctor shortage, because in DC, every day is “opposite day.”

The plan has been put into hibernation. Why? Pretty much because too many people were paying attention:

The Obama administration will not move forward on a controversial proposal to have “secret shoppers” pose as patients to investigate how difficult it is for patients to receive primary care.

“On April 28th, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services submitted a notice to the Federal Register regarding a proposed study that would examine access to primary care,” an HHS spokesman said in a statement. “After reviewing feedback received during the public comment period, we have determined that now is not the time to move forward with this research project. Instead, we will pursue other initiatives that build on our efforts to increase access to health care providers nationwide.”

It’ll be back before long.

And the water keeps searching for the cracks…

(h/t Hot Air)

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBeremember being

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Posted in: Health care,Politics

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Comments


  1. #1
    On June 28th, 2011 at 10:34 pm, rambler said:

    Another moronic idea on hold till we’re not looking.

  2. #2
    On June 28th, 2011 at 11:18 pm, Flyoverman said:

    The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

    This holds true for being aware of Progressives as well as external threats.

  3. #3
    On June 28th, 2011 at 11:31 pm, Republicanvet said:

    They can claim all they want about this program being so pure, but it sure smelled to me as if someone would be putting a boot on the neck of some doctor if he wasn’t acting according to how they wanted them to.

    Gee, where are the quotes from the AMA on this?

  4. #4
    On June 28th, 2011 at 11:32 pm, Republicanvet said:

    Instead, we will pursue other initiatives that build on our efforts to increase access to health care providers nationwide.”

    “…and this time keep it quiet dammit!”

  5. #5
    On June 28th, 2011 at 11:42 pm, right_on said:

    If there are those within this administration willing to go this far, what aren’t they capable of?

    Oh, that’s easy….they aren’t capable of running anything successfully. They’ve had how many years now to fix the postal service, social security, medicare and medicaid, and the borders?

    The only things they’ve been successful at is fixing elections and hiding affairs.

  6. #6
    On June 29th, 2011 at 12:11 am, txvet2 said:

    Their big mistake was in letting people find out about the public comment period. Next time they’ll keep it a secret.

  7. #7
    On June 29th, 2011 at 12:33 am, NJ-Aviator said:

    How unlike Obama to put the gov’t spying on business on hold. Oh wait. He was exposed. Then of course it’s on hold.

  8. #8
    On June 29th, 2011 at 12:55 am, Republicanvet said:

    I’m curious if we will ever see reports of patients being turned away anyway.

    How many doctors may be rather leery now of accepting new patients, no matter what this bunch of incompetent thugs think.

  9. #9
    On June 29th, 2011 at 12:56 am, cabrerski said:

    This video was secretly shot filming Katherine Sebelius and her HHS staff at a Monday morning staff meeting at their Washington DC headquarters.

  10. #10
    On June 29th, 2011 at 1:13 am, Republicanvet said:

    On June 29th, 2011 at 12:56 am, cabrerski said:

    This video was secretly shot filming Katherine Sebelius and her HHS staff at a Monday morning staff meeting at their Washington DC headquarters.

    …and this video would be what the patriotic Democrats would do if they were honest about the marxist in the WH.

  11. #11
    On June 29th, 2011 at 2:24 am, AZBabe said:

    It’s starting to look a little like Hitler’s Germany…the government spying on doctors? These are sad times we live in.

  12. #12
    On June 29th, 2011 at 8:13 am, tre said:

    After reviewing feedback received during the public comment period, we have determined that now is not the time to move forward with this research project.

    In other words, next time they’ll just ’til nobody is watching.

  13. #13
    On June 29th, 2011 at 8:46 am, Darthnoob said:

    It will come back. On a friday afternoon at 4:00 before a three day weekend.

  14. #14
    On June 29th, 2011 at 8:57 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

    Instead, we will pursue other initiatives that build on our efforts to increase access to health care providers nationwide.”

    You mean like stress positions and waterboarding?

  15. #15
    On June 29th, 2011 at 9:06 am, passingruffian said:

    The brown shirts must have been back ordered.

  16. #16
    On June 29th, 2011 at 9:16 am, NotTheMama said:

    They’ll be back when no one is looking.

  17. #17
    On June 29th, 2011 at 9:32 am, Marshall_Will said:

    I say give yourselves a HAND people!

    Conservative bloggers got the word out and left Jay Carney looking like a total doofus w/ zero explanation as to how this was even seriously considered in the first place!

    Yes, we need to remain ever vigilant between now and Nov. 2012. However, we can’t hold our breath that long. Save a little for the occasional victory lap fer’ chrissakes people.

  18. #18
    On June 29th, 2011 at 9:55 am, Harley2007 said:

    Marshall_Will said:Yes, we need to remain ever vigilant between now and Nov. 2012.

    You really think the election in 2012 is going to change anything? Did the election last November change anything? I had high hopes not now Boner has done NOTHING. He has not even tried to repeal the moronic light bulb law. He would be a hero to do that. What happened to all the noise that the House will just cut the funding for Deathcare? No he and his kind are just as corrupt and bought off as the rest of them. It is to late the Marxists have seized control and every time we have a victory like this they shove through 10 or 20 things we don’t know about to enslave us.

  19. #19
    On June 29th, 2011 at 9:57 am, Dexter Alarius said:

    Sibelius: Aargh! We’d have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for those meddling kids and their darn dog!

  20. #20
    On June 29th, 2011 at 10:11 am, rambler said:

    Harley,
    2010 did change some things and not all things. 2012 should get rid of bho. 2016 is when the last 1/3 of senators are up for reelection. We have to drive the message strong and hard that the era of career politician is over. Some will be voted out, some resign and others will die of old age. One way or another, we have to impress upon them that if they violate the Constitution, they will be removed. It took the founding fathers a while to get the country established. Take one election at a time, accomplish what can be accomplished and make a strategy for the next one.

  21. #21
    On June 29th, 2011 at 10:16 am, prendad said:

    Our morons-in-government, hard at work.

  22. #22
    On June 29th, 2011 at 10:17 am, love2rumba said:

    It’s interesting to ponder how many of the same doctors protesting this act by the Obama Administration also had no qualms to pester patients over their firearm ownership on medical questionaires back in the ’90s…

  23. #23
    On June 29th, 2011 at 10:32 am, NavyGal said:

    Maybe it would be a good idea for doctors’ office personnel who receive calls to compare notes with others. Start a list of ‘patients’ with the same name who are calling about whether the doctor is accepting new patients. Perhaps alert other offices, too.

  24. #24
    On June 29th, 2011 at 11:47 am, Aries4 said:

    They were going to change the name to Secret Shoppers but nicknaming them the “SS” wasn’t polling well.

  25. #25
    On July 5th, 2011 at 5:21 pm, BK said:

    They should hire more doctors not mystery shoppers.

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