As a doctor, it's beyond bizarre to see a potential #SCOTUS justice say she'll make decisions about healthcare (eg, denying it to millions) based on #Originalism-what she thinks people in the 1700s would have intended. How different was medicine back then? Read on... (1/11)

In the 18th century, barber-surgeons were still doing blood letting, a common (deadly) practice that gave rise to the barber pole with red & white stripes representing bandages & blood. It'd be 11 yrs before surgeons would separate from barbers & perform medical procedures (2/11)

The 1st vaccine wasn't developed until 1799 (smallpox). Does Judge Barrett support #Medicaid covering the routine immunization of kids against deadly diseases? Would she oppose @realDonaldTrump providing a coronavirus vaccine to us, even tho the founders would be confused? (3/11)

In 1846 was the first demonstration of anesthesia in the world. Should #Medicare pay for anesthesia for hip replacements or heart bypass? Or should we just give Medicare recipients a shot of whiskey and a bullet on which to bite? (4/11)

Speaking of surgery, the first appendectomy was in 1886. Should we let them rupture and hope for the best? That’s what happened to my patient when her mom didn’t bring her in for belly pain for a week because she didn’t have insurance. But hey, it's what the Founders knew! (5/11)

EKGs & X-rays weren’t used until 1895. To Judge Barrett, would my evaluations of #Medicare patients with chest pain or dyspnea be unconstitutional, as these critical diagnostic modalities wouldn't be discovered until nearly a century after the US Constitution was ratified? (6/11)

In 1906 was the first human blood transfusion using the ABO typing technique. Are these measures to save the lives of soldiers on the battlefield (with transfusions paid for by US government-funded healthcare) OK in an “originalist” version of healthcare? (7/11)

Penicillin, the 1st true antibiotic, wasn't discovered until 1928. Anyone on Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare or in the VA should beware if they get a simple bacterial infection in 2021. The founders didn't say your treatment should be covered. And "originalists" might listen! (8/11)

And the list goes on and on. Nearly every aspect of modern medicine was non-existent in the late 18th century. An “originalist” approach to the government funding of any type of healthcare today might deem all of them unconstitutional. (9/11)

This is personal for me. Eliminating the #ACA will rip health insurance away from 25 million Americans, including over 8,000 people in my poor rural Michigan county of 48,000 (which supported Trump with over 2/3 of the vote). Is Obamacare just the first step? (10/11)

"Originalist" health care-No more X-Rays, EKGs, or antibiotics. You can dump your PCP, and make an appointment to see your barber for your annual bloodletting. It won’t keep you healthy or cure what ails you.

But at least you won’t go bankrupt from the care you receive. (/END)