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Public Citizen Releases Annual Ranking of State Medical Boards
California, Florida Join List of Ten Worst States in Disciplining Doctors; Minnesota Is Overall Worst State While Alaska Is Best
WASHINGTON
Public Citizen's annual ranking of state medical boards shows that
most states, including two of the largest, are not living up to their
obligations to protect patients from doctors who are practicing
substandard medicine, according to the report released today.
For the first time since Public Citizen has been publishing the
rankings, California, the largest state in the country, and Florida,
one of the largest, are among the 10 states with the lowest rates of
serious disciplinary actions. Minnesota was the worst state when it
came to disciplining doctors and, along with Maryland, South Carolina
and Wisconsin, has consistently been among the worst 10 states for each
of the last six rankings.
Overall, the rate of discipline for doctors in 2008 was 21.5 percent
lower than the peak year of 2004. In 2008, there were 2.92 serious
disciplinary actions per 1,000 physicians, compared to 3.72 actions per
1,000 physicians in 2004. This means that if the higher 2004 rate of
discipline were still occurring, 770 more doctors would have been
subject to serious disciplinary actions in 2008 than actually were.
The annual rankings are based on data from the Federation of State
Medical Boards, specifically on the number of disciplinary actions
taken against doctors in 2008. Public Citizen calculated the rate of
serious disciplinary actions (revocations, surrenders, suspensions and
probation/restrictions) per 1,000 doctors in each state. The number of
actions in 2008 was averaged over the past three years to establish the
state's rank.
California is one of five states with the largest decrease in rank
for doctor discipline since the 2001-2003 period, dropping from a rank
of 22 to 43. The four other states with the biggest decline are Alabama
(13 to 36), Georgia (15 to 42), Mississippi (20 to 48) and New
Hampshire (25 to 46). All of these states had large decreases in the
actual rates along with the decrease in rank.
The best states when it comes to doctor discipline, in order, are
Alaska, Kentucky, Ohio, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Louisiana,
Iowa, Colorado and Maine. The five states whose rank has improved the
most since 2001-2003 are Hawaii (51 to 13), North Carolina (41 to 14),
Maine (34 to 10), the District of Columbia (42 to 17) and Illinois (35
to 15). The progress in these states is commendable because the medical
boards have figured out ways - often with legislatively mandated
increases in funding and staffing - to improve the protection for
patients from doctors who need to be disciplined but, in the past, were
disciplined much less rigorously.
"The overall national downward trend of serious disciplinary actions
against physicians is troubling because it indicates many states are
not living up to their obligations to protect patients from bad
doctors," said Sidney Wolfe, M.D., Public Citizen's acting president
and director of its Health Research Group. "State lawmakers must give
serious attention to finding out why their states are failing to
discipline doctors and then they need to take action - either
legislatively or by applying pressure on medical boards. Otherwise,
they will continue to allow doctors to endanger the lives and health of
their residents because of inadequate discipline."
Boards are likely to do a better job disciplining physicians if most, if not all, of the following conditions exist:
- They have adequate funding (all money from license fees going to
fund board activities instead of going into the state treasury for
general purposes); - They have adequate staffing;
- They undertake proactive investigations rather than only responding to complaints;
- They use all available/reliable data from other sources such as
Medicare and Medicaid sanctions, hospital sanctions and malpractice
payouts; - They have excellent leadership;
- They are independent from state medical societies and other parts of the state government; and
- A reasonable legal framework exists for disciplining doctors (the
"preponderance of the evidence" rather than "beyond reasonable doubt"
or "clear and convincing evidence" as the legal standard for
discipline).
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
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'Children Are Being Starved By Design': All of Gaza Faces Hunger Crisis Due to Israeli Siege
"This catastrophe did not unfold in the dark; it happened in plain sight."
May 12, 2025
Data released Monday shows the total Israeli siege that's now in its third month has made Gaza's already dire hunger crisis worse, leaving the entire Palestinian enclave in emergency conditions and hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation as much of the international community looks on, tunes out, or actively fuels the disaster.
The new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report places 244,000 people in Gaza in Phase 5, defined as such "an extreme deprivation of food" that "starvation, death, destitution, and extremely critical levels of acute malnutrition are or will likely be evident."
The entirety of the Gaza Strip, according to the IPC, is in Phase 4, where households "have large food consumption gaps which are reflected in very high acute malnutrition and excess mortality."
"Goods indispensable for people's survival are either depleted or expected to run out in the coming weeks," the report states. "The entire population is facing high levels of acute food insecurity, with half a million people (one in five) facing starvation."
"With the announced expansion of military operations throughout the Gaza Strip," the report adds, "the persistent inability of humanitarian agencies to access populations in dire need, an anticipated escalation in hostilities, and the continued mass displacement of people, the risk of Famine in the Gaza Strip is not just possible—it is increasingly likely."
Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president of global policy and advocacy at Mercy Corps, said the IPC data is "horrifying" but "tragically not surprising," with everyone from children to the elderly suffering.
"This catastrophe did not unfold in the dark; it happened in plain sight," said Phillips-Barrasso. "After more than two months of total blockade, Gaza's food system has collapsed, humanitarian operations are paralyzed, and people are starving. Families are in pure survival mode—hungry, exhausted, and displaced."
"The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver lifesaving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight."
The updated IPC figures came amid increasingly desperate warnings from aid groups operating in Gaza, most of which has been decimated by Israel's U.S.-backed military assault.
Last week, World Central Kitchen announced that it "no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza," pointing to Israel's closure of border crossings and total shutdown of humanitarian aid deliveries in March. Some aid meant for the strip has been left to rot due to Israel's blockade.
"By constantly adapting over the past weeks, we were cooking 133,000 meals daily at our two remaining WCK Field Kitchens and baking 80,000 loaves of bread each day," the aid group said. "But we have now reached the limits of what is possible."
In addition to cutting off deliveries of humanitarian supplies, the Israeli military has continued its attacks on food distribution facilities inside Gaza, further complicating efforts to aid the enclave's starving population. United Nations officials, human rights groups, and the International Criminal Court have accused Israeli leaders of using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
Ahmad Alhendawi, a regional director at Save the Children, said in a statement Monday that "this is a deliberate humanitarian catastrophe."
"Children are being starved by design under Israeli authorities' total siege," said Alhendawi. "We have the food, we have the aid, and we know how to treat malnutrition in children—what we don't have is access. There is food, water, and medical aid ready to go, but it's being blocked at the border while families are forced to eat animal feed and leaves, taking unimaginable and dehumanizing measures to survive."
"This is not a crisis of supply; it's a crisis of access," Alhendawi stressed. "At any given moment in Gaza, a child, someone's whole world, could be killed by bombs and bullets, starvation and disease. The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver lifesaving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight."
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'Under Cover of Night,' GOP Unveils Plan to Kick Over 8 Million Off Medicaid
"This bill confirms what we've been saying all along: Trump and Republicans have been lying when they claim they aren't going to cut Medicaid and take away people's healthcare."
May 12, 2025
House Republicans late Sunday unveiled legislation that analysts said would rip Medicaid coverage from millions of low-income Americans—including children and people with disabilities—to help fund tax breaks that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
The bill text released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is a section of the sprawling budget reconciliation package that Republicans are hoping to complete as soon as Memorial Day.
The legislation includes major changes to Medicaid that, if enacted, would kick millions from the program, including work requirements for some enrollees and new payment mandates for adults living above 100% of the federal poverty level—which, for a single individual, is $15,650 in annual income for 2025.
A snap analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the healthcare section of the new Republican bill would cut spending by at least $715 billion over the next decade and leave at least 8.6 million more people without insurance.
"Many of the Medicaid proposals from House Republicans are technical and wonky, and will be difficult for the public to absorb," said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF. "What won't be difficult to absorb: CBO's estimate that the changes will increase the number of people without health insurance by at least 8.6 million."
"Taking healthcare away from children and moms, seniors in nursing homes, and people with disabilities to give tax breaks to people who don't need them is shameful."
With the stated goal of combating fraud, the GOP bill would implement a slew of new reporting and screening requirements to check Medicaid recipients' eligibility—changes that analysts said would ensnare many in procedural red tape, resulting in large-scale loss of coverage.
The measure's work requirement mandates at least 80 hours of work, community service, or related activities per month. Most Medicaid recipients already work, and previous work requirements at the state level have resulted in disaster.
The legislation also alters "cost-sharing requirements for certain expansion individuals under the Medicaid program." In plain terms, the bill would force certain Medicaid recipients to pay more for coverage, whether through premiums or other fees.
"If you make $20,000, a state might slap $1,000 of fees onto your Medicaid," Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, wrote in an analysis of the bill. "True sicko shit."
"My heart aches for the people whose lives will be ruined if this becomes law," Kogan added. "So it's our job to stop it."
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in a statement Sunday that "this bill confirms what we've been saying all along: Trump and Republicans have been lying when they claim they aren't going to cut Medicaid and take away people's healthcare."
"Let's be clear, Republican leadership released this bill under cover of night because they don't want people to know their true intentions," said Pallone. "In no uncertain terms, millions of Americans will lose their healthcare coverage, hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes."
"Taking healthcare away from children and moms, seniors in nursing homes, and people with disabilities to give tax breaks to people who don't need them is shameful," he added. "Democrats have defeated Republican efforts to cut healthcare before, and we can do it again."
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Progressives Mark Mother's Day With Calls to 'Honor Our Moms With Action'
"Today on Mother's Day, let's remember every mother deserves a livable wage, affordable childcare, paid family leave, and the ability to retire with dignity," said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
May 11, 2025
As the Republicans who narrowly control both chambers of Congress plot cuts to programs that serve the working-class to pay for tax giveaways to the wealthy, progressive lawmakers on Sunday marked Mother's Day by renewing calls for policies that would improve the lives of U.S. families.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), founder of the Congressional Mamas' Caucus, said in a video shared to social media that "this Mother's Day, we're gonna fight to protect Medicaid, we're gonna fight for childcare, and we're gonna fight to make sure that our children have access to clean water."
Other representatives featured in the video also pledged to fight for federal programs, including Medicaid, which provides health coverage to low-income individuals; Head Start, which provides early childhood education and programming for working-class parents; and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly called food stamps.
President Donald Trump's administration recently reversed course on Head Start cuts by leaving them out of the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget—at least for now—but, as USA Todaynoted earlier this month, "other preschool and after-school programs may be in jeopardy as the Republican-controlled Congress wrestles over the federal budget this summer."
As part of that budget battle, GOP lawmakers are targeting programs including SNAP and Medicaid. In a U.S. House of Representatives floor speech, Tlaib declared that "too often, mothers are left behind in this chamber."
"In the richest country in the world," the mother-of-two argued, "no mother should worry about feeding her children or affording basic care. Ending child poverty is a policy choice. I introduced the End Child Poverty Act to provide universal child benefit for every child in our country and cut child poverty by 60%. Paid leave, affordable childcare, and universal school meals should be guaranteed, not privileges."
Tlaib also noted the Black Maternal Health Caucus' Momnibus Act, a bill she co-sponsors that aims to address the nation's maternal health crisis, and a new Mamas' Caucus campaign to battle GOP efforts to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid. She said that "this Mother's Day, I'm asking all of you to not only thank our mothers, but do it with action as we recommit to fighting for the dignity and health of every mother in our nation."
Like Tlaib, Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) used Mother's Day to recognize the U.S. maternal health crisis.
"As we honor our mothers, we must also recognize that too many are being failed by a system that should protect them," he said on social media. "In the U.S., Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, regardless of income or education. The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable. This is unacceptable."
"We will continue fighting for mothers today, tomorrow, and every day for their right to safe, dignified care, bodily autonomy, compassionate treatment, and healthy equity in America," Jackson added.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Sunday advocated for his Child Care for America Act, which aims to make childcare $10 per day for families but raise the pay floor for industry workers to $24 an hour.
Khanna, Jackson, and Tlaib have all backed the fight for Medicare for All—and the related bill for that was reintroduced late last month by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
"Today on Mother's Day, let's remember every mother deserves a livable wage, affordable childcare, paid family leave, and the ability to retire with dignity," Sanders said Sunday. "America must become a nation which treats all mothers and their kids with the respect and dignity they deserve."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) honored her own mom on Mother's Day by resharing, in a series of social media posts, the story about how she supported their family by securing a minimum wage job.
"After my daddy had a heart attack, he couldn't work for a while. Bills piled up. We lost our family station wagon. It looked like the house would be next to go. At night, I'd overhear my parents talk, and that's when I learned words like 'mortgage' and 'foreclosure,'" she recalled. "One day, I walked into my parents' bedroom. My mother's face was red and puffy. A dress was laid out over the bedspread—the dress that only came out for weddings, graduations, and funerals."
"'We are not going to lose this house,' she kept saying. 'We are not going to lose this house.' She'd never worked outside the home. She was terrified," Warren continued. "But she knew what she had to do. I watched her put that dress on, put on her high heels, and blow her nose. She walked to Sears. She got a minimum wage job. And that minimum wage job saved our house and saved our family."
"Today, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour—a wage that has not increased in over 15 years. With that, a family living on minimum wage is living in poverty."
The senator said that "this story is written on my heart. I'm remembering my mother's courage this Mother's Day. I'm thinking about all the mamas out there fighting for their families. And I'm thinking about all the ways the deck is stacked against mothers and families today. A mother today would not be able to work a minimum wage job and keep everyone afloat. Today, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour—a wage that has not increased in over 15 years. With that, a family living on minimum wage is living in poverty."
"And, without quality, affordable childcare, mothers have been shoved out of the workforce," she noted. "They will feel the consequences—in lost earnings, in lower Social Security benefits—for the rest of their lives. And, notably, most women who get abortions today are already mothers. Many are working multiple jobs that don't pay enough to support their children. Abortion bans make it even harder for those families to make ends meet."
While GOP policymakers are working to restrict reproductive freedom and cut safety net programs, Warren made her priorities clear: "I'm working to give every mother and every family a fighting chance—and I'm in this fight all the way."
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