Ethnicity And Race Designations Required?

I admit that I had my doubts about this October 20, 2013 story, "Obamacare seeks to segregate patients, doctors by race" — until I visited my neurologist on December 9. Before that date, I last saw my neurologist on June 17, 2013.

As usual, the girl behind the front desk handed me a sheet with insurance information to verify. I did so by comparing all the numbers on the sheet with the health insurance card that I carry in my wallet, then handed the sheet back to her. She said: "You haven't completed the form. See the top right."

There were two more lines to fill in. One said "ethnicity," the other "race."

Never before has any insurance form in any doctor's office I have visited required such designations!

Having to provide the information on any insurance form makes me uneasy. What's the point?

I noticed two other changes while visiting my neurologist on December 9:

(1) Sheet after sheet to fill out so as to provide a detailed medical history of my immediate and extended family.

(2) Having to be weighed in during my visit.  Never before have I been required to step on the scale at the neurologist's office.  Not that I worry about my weigh-in; I'm well under even the remote possibility of obesity.

All in all, this December 9 visit to my neurologist took up 1.5 hours of my time; of that time, I spent about one hour face-to-face with my neurologist — although I must say that at least 30 minutes of that face-to-face time was consumed by the neurologist having to sit in front of his computer in my presence so as to complete the electronic medical records.  Previous visits to my neurologist have consumed barely 20 minutes of my time.