So, rather than take on the Plaintiff Bar and enact some legislation to curb med mal lawsuit abuse, the legislature chose instead to set up a mechanism to transfer wealth from the tobacco settlement into the plaintiff\’s bar\’s pockets. It\’s too bad the people of PA don\’t understand how badly they\’re being shafted by their legislators. Oh, well, it\’s their money.
Quoting from the article: \”Rendell first proposed the subsidy to help doctors afford rising insurance premiums until tougher restrictions on filing medical malpractice lawsuits designed to lower insurance costs could take effect.\”
If the \”tougher restrictions\” have already been already enacted and are just waiting to take effect, then it may not be so bad to use these funds as an interim measure. The obvious counterpoint, however, is that this is year three — and just exactly how long does it take for enacted legislation to take effect in PA? Doesn\’t sound like they have been enacted.
Rendell is trying to campaign to Pennsylvania doctors from the back pocket of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (PATLA).
He just witnessed a historic election through which the voters threw out a sitting Supreme Court justice. And he knows he stands a good chance of being the victim of another historic move: PA typically reelects its governors. This just might not happen for Rendell…And so, he\’s taking a very popular act of the legislature and making it look as if it was soley his initiative. He needs both PATLA\’s money and the doctor\’s votes…so his best bet is giving the docs smoke and mirrors, while for the benefit of PATLA, steering PA away from any meaningful tort reforms such as capping pain and suffering.
Rendell is a man of paradoxes: fund healthcare with tobacco money, fund schools with gambling money…But hey, he\’s Philadelphia\’s governor…what should a mensch expect?
So, rather than take on the Plaintiff Bar and enact some legislation to curb med mal lawsuit abuse, the legislature chose instead to set up a mechanism to transfer wealth from the tobacco settlement into the plaintiff\’s bar\’s pockets. It\’s too bad the people of PA don\’t understand how badly they\’re being shafted by their legislators. Oh, well, it\’s their money.
Quoting from the article: \”Rendell first proposed the subsidy to help doctors afford rising insurance premiums until tougher restrictions on filing medical malpractice lawsuits designed to lower insurance costs could take effect.\”
If the \”tougher restrictions\” have already been already enacted and are just waiting to take effect, then it may not be so bad to use these funds as an interim measure. The obvious counterpoint, however, is that this is year three — and just exactly how long does it take for enacted legislation to take effect in PA? Doesn\’t sound like they have been enacted.
Bill
Mr. Tanner,
Good point. How long does it take?
Rendell is trying to campaign to Pennsylvania doctors from the back pocket of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (PATLA).
He just witnessed a historic election through which the voters threw out a sitting Supreme Court justice. And he knows he stands a good chance of being the victim of another historic move: PA typically reelects its governors. This just might not happen for Rendell…And so, he\’s taking a very popular act of the legislature and making it look as if it was soley his initiative. He needs both PATLA\’s money and the doctor\’s votes…so his best bet is giving the docs smoke and mirrors, while for the benefit of PATLA, steering PA away from any meaningful tort reforms such as capping pain and suffering.
Rendell is a man of paradoxes: fund healthcare with tobacco money, fund schools with gambling money…But hey, he\’s Philadelphia\’s governor…what should a mensch expect?