WELLNESS PROGRAMS: A reader emails:

Today at my Knoxville primary care Doctor’s office I had the now mandated annual “Wellness” visit for those over 62, per Medicare. At the last visit the Dr. said he was required to provide it (no cost to me, right…) or be fined, so I relented and scheduled it. They gave me a four page questionnaire to take and fill out. I filled it out in pencil, fwiw. Essentially, my and my familie’s history. Now understand, I have been with him 16 years and have a least 3 volumes of ‘charts’. As we finished I asked her where this report went from here. She said it would be scanned and be available to Humana, for the reimbursement. From there, she didn’t know…HHS? So I asked if I could request it not be ‘shared’. A slow smile came over her face and she looked up and said – of course! Ha! I found a way to allow their compliance and resist this dubious exercise. Maybe we can start a movement! If you expand on this, please leave me anonymous. When it’s death by a thousand cuts I want to pick my spots.

Or break the knife.