Ep. 203 - Patient Choice, Healthcare Reform & Government Regulation w/Dr. Jeffrey Singer

How much control should the government have over the healthcare decisions of individual Americans?

On this episode of the Washington Signal Lunch Hour Podcast, host Andrew Langer sits down with Dr. Jeffrey Singer, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and longtime general surgeon, to discuss patient autonomy, government regulation, and how America can expand competition and choice throughout the healthcare system.

Singer explains the argument behind his book, Your Body, Your Health Care, and why he believes competent adults should ultimately make their own healthcare decisions. He and Langer examine the MAHA movement, the debate over ultra-processed foods, Medicare and government involvement in healthcare, and the consequences of allowing policymakers to determine which treatments and products people can access.

The conversation also explores ways to increase the supply of healthcare in America, including expanding pharmacists' and other medical professionals' scopes of practice, eliminating certificate-of-need laws, reforming medical licensing and residency requirements, and making it easier for qualified foreign-trained physicians to practice.

Finally, Singer discusses the emerging debate over psychedelic-assisted therapy and why psychedelics may require a different regulatory approach than conventional prescription drugs.

00:00 — Introducing Dr. Jeffrey Singer
01:40 — How American Medicine Has Changed
03:28 — Patient Autonomy & the MAHA Movement
07:16 — When Should Government Intervene?
11:07 — Right to Try, CBD & Conflicting Health Policies
14:10 — The Debate Over Ultra-Processed Foods
20:11 — Government's Role in American Healthcare
25:24 — Giving Pharmacists More Freedom to Practice
29:13 — Certificate-of-Need Laws & Healthcare Competition
34:06 — America's Physician Shortage
37:35 — Medical Licensing & Foreign-Trained Doctors
40:34 — Psychedelics & a Different Approach to Drug Regulation
44:26 — Your Body, Your Health Care
44:43 — Closing Thoughts

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