lets not forget how the US government first forced doctors to give out more and stronger pain medications by 1)issuing edicts that “pain is the fifth vital sig

lets not forget how the US government first forced doctors to give out more and stronger pain medications by 1)issuing edicts that “pain is the fifth vital sign” (i.e. equivalent to pulse, bp, temp, respiratory rate), AND 2) tying reimbursement to “patient satisfaction” Both ideas could have helped improve healthcare, but without safeguards, they became a way to empower drug addicts to demand strong pain meds, and empowered pharmaceutical companies to supply them - a great example of what Thomas Sowell would call “second order effects” that are almost never considered when enacting new government policies