Apparently it is ok to ease the impact of malpractice suits on the U.S. medical system by shifting it to the U.S. tax payers. Makes me feel so much better about the health care overhaul.
This seems like it’s just throwing a bone to the Republicans. I think most would argue that tort reform is needed, but another $25 million tax-payer dollars added to the deficit for what will probably amount to the equalivent of spitting on a fire.
…25,000,000 divided by the total of the senate bill out of conference recently 865,000,000,000 = a whopping .002% of the health care bill. So med mal is about .002% of the cost of healthcare?
Hardly. This isn’t even a bone or a crumb from an oreo cookie.
Imagine if the majority of the members of Congress were, I dont know, lets say insurance industry personnel. Imagine if those insurance industry personnel in Congress were considering legislation that would greatly enhance insurance industry profits and opportunities. Can you imagine the hue and cry of “Conflict of Interest” that would arise. And yet despite the fact that the vast majority of the members of Congress are and have been lawyers & the majority of the members of almost all state legislatures are lawyers, no one seems to care about the obvious “Conflict of Interest” which occurs
almost daily. We need to protect ourselves from these leeches who are leading the way to destroying the American way of life. How about “Conflict of Interest” legislation which forbids lawyers to serve as members of Congress or State legislatures.
PS. Hey Massachusets legislature, your hypocrisy and corruption are showing. Why not just pass a law that says whatever the Democrats want whenever a succession issue arises is legal. At least it would be more honest. Can you guys even spell “HONEST”.
What it is, is a pay off to the AMA that has supported this fraudulent president’s so-called healthcare agenda against the express wishes of most of its membership and most of the American people. It’s not going to make a damn bit of difference except to shift a minuscule amount of the total cost of malpractice litigation to the taxpayers. The plaintiffs bar who’d like us to believe they’re great humanitarians will continue to be enriched. This abominable administration will see to it, and anything else they say is just lies.
The grants to the states will end up in the hands of corrupt insurance commissioners and will give them even more money to siphon off for themselves. The one in Kansas just went to jail and there are some others being investigated as we speak.
Yeah, the same “Curious” that asked a question about creating free market competition from the article about Leahy’s proposed anti-trust legislation.
In the same vein, since tort reform is typically legislated at the state level, as much as those of us in “the industry” would like to see it, wouldn’t it be difficult to coordinate national tort reform without taking that power away from the states?
And secondly, if, heaven forbid, we ended up with Co-ops which morphed into a Public Option, which is simply a Trojan Horse for a Single Payor system, wouldn’t the same governmental immunity that protects municipalities, states & the military, also limit litigation on a totally government run… (sorry I just threw up a little in my mouth…) health care program?
Appreicate feedback on this issue from some of you experts out there, again, so I’ll be better armed to discuss these issues with my “progressive” acquaintances.
Yep, I said it. You people don’t have the slightest idea of which you speak. “Fraudulent administration”, etc, ad nauseum. What a bunch of self-riotous fools. Have any of you been to a doctor in the past five years? Had a family member with a major illness? Been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy by co-pays and deductibles? I bet not. Also betting none of you have any clue as to how much malpractice premiums actual cost physicians.
Single-payer is the only way to avoid more fraud, graft and excess by health insurers, who are ONLY in it for their profits (and don’t plead to me about the so-called “non” profits. They’re just as bad. Google “Blue Cross” and “rescission”). Take the profit motive out of health insurance and you might just have something. Otherwise it continues to be underwritten exactly as auto insurance.
Yay! We’re 36th in the world (quality)_ and #1 for cost!
Legal drinking age is set by the state, so how did the federal government force a federal reg on states? Easy, MONEY. Those states that did not have drinking age set to 21 were denied or reduced federal dollars for streets and roads. Same hammer could be applied to states regarding tort reform with medicaid dollars. Or you could go the liberal route and state its “for the children”
==Yay! We’re 36th in the world (quality)_ and #1 for cost!==
Right. That’s why so many people come here from nations listed above us by the WHO.
The WHO judged a country’s quality of health on life expectancy. But that’s a lousy measure of a health-care system. Many things that cause premature death have nothing do with medical care. We have far more fatal transportation accidents than other countries. That’s not a health-care problem.
Similarly, our homicide rate is 10 times higher than in the U.K., eight times higher than in France, and five times greater than in Canada.
When you adjust for these “fatal injury” rates, U.S. life expectancy is actually higher than in nearly every other industrialized nation.
Diet and lack of exercise also bring down average life expectancy.
Another reason the U.S. didn’t score high in the WHO rankings is that we are less socialistic than other nations. What has that got to do with the quality of health care? For the authors of the study, it’s crucial. The WHO judged countries not on the absolute quality of health care, but on how “fairly” health care of any quality is “distributed.” The problem here is obvious. By that criterion, a country with high-quality care overall but “unequal distribution” would rank below a country with lower quality care but equal distribution.
It’s when this so-called “fairness,” a highly subjective standard, is factored in that the U.S. scores go south.
The U.S. ranking is influenced heavily by the number of people — 45 million — without medical insurance. As I reported in previous columns, our government aggravates that problem by making insurance artificially expensive with, for example, mandates for coverage that many people would not choose and forbidding us to buy policies from companies in another state.
Even with these interventions, the 45 million figure is misleading. Thirty-seven percent of that group live in households making more than $50,000 a year, says the U.S. Census Bureau. Nineteen percent are in households making more than $75,000 a year; 20 percent are not citizens, and 33 percent are eligible for existing government programs but are not enrolled.
For all its problems, the U.S. ranks at the top for quality of care and innovation, including development of life-saving drugs. It “falters” only when the criterion is proximity to socialized medicine.
We need major tort reform, potability, and allowing companies to well in any state they wish. None of that would cost the govt a dime.
But if the real purpose was to bankrupt the country while imposing authortarianism on the populace, then Hussein’s “plan” would be just what the doctor ordered.
Adjuster, people like you that have to bring racism into every disagreement are never to be taken seriously; therefore, I am requesting IJ to remove your comment. Until you can actually get a brain yourself and some constructive arguments, your comments can remain with you. Grow up! Not every comment that you disagree with is race related. Maybe you should sue him for a hate crime! Big Baby!
Just the intelligent repartee I would expect from a Faux News Head.
Put down the keyboard and go back to Uncle Glen..he’ll tell you all you need to know. Better yet, find a phrenologist to better identify your psychosis.
… lets see some figures. For the last year available.
1) Give me the number of fraud and abuse by the private health insurance companies.
2) Give me the number of medicare fraud dollars.
3) Give me the medicaid fraud numbers.
4) A poll is only an opinion. Please do not cite anymore polls. Because if you do I will tell you 85% of Americans are happy with their current health insurance.
5) Why can’t we start prosecuting those that are cheating the system TODAY? Is it now illegal to prosecute fraud?
6) Please tell me the number of fraud cases prosecuted by the justice deprtment in since January 20, 2009.
Look forward to your prompt response.
PS yours and everyone elses opinion to do not matter a wit to me. I want concrete facts and figures, not your emotions.
Wow. More enlightening name-calling. You have a gift for ignoring the points in a debate, and a gift for making a jack@ss of yourself, and you managed to use them both in the same thread!
You oughta get a job with ACORN. You’d fit right in, intellectually.
I don’t recall mentioning fraud except for alluding to the useless “fraudulent administration” non-comment.
Look up you own “facts”. I KNOW the system is broken and the insurers are not going to help fix it.
No idea how many fraud cases are prosecuted; I’ve been told (there’s a great non-fact, I know) by physicians that Medicare is absolutely heavy-handed in doling out fines for BOTH over and UNDER billing. The last one with whom I spoke was fined for under-billing (!)
Ferreting out fraud and abuse won’t likely save nearly enough money to pay for a good system. Taking insurers out of the picture will.
Why does this resemble a Cash for Clunkers temporary type grab? Nothing about Tort reform at all in this article.
And why is it that when the liberal left gets desperate they play the race card? Oh and now Pelosi is playing the Gay card after Jimmy Carters reckless assumptions.
All the while Obama is stumping his cult personality over concrete answers. You’d think he’s running again already for President. What’s next a stereotypical guest visit to a late night TV show? Do I hear Leno?
Yes, which were removed two days after Sarahcuda brought them up. Because you know, they weren’t there, so they had to be taken out from where they weren’t.
Knew you’d somehow think there was ANY “death panel” in any of these bills. There never was. N E V E R. Period. Its a LIE. And you and that woman from Alaska keep repeating it. But then like the former president, if you repeat a big enough lie enough times, someone will think its true.
How about GOP efforts to push grandma from the train with Medicare cuts less than five years ago? Guess those “death panels” never hit your radar screen.
Again, go back to Uncle Bill and Aunt Sean, they’ll tell you all the “facts” you need.
Were you GOPers so worried about deficits when W was starting his own little war? Guess Haliburton profits are much more important than taking care of your fellow human beings.
OK – I’m turning of my notification indicator because nobody gave me any productive feedback and all you guys did is load up my e-mail in-box notifications of with your sniping, sacrasic comments, especially you, Adjuster.
You really need to watch something other than MSLSD because Madcow and Overbite are turning you into a bitter, angry person.
I have seen the President referred to as:
“Barry”
“Hussein”
“The Messiah”
“baby Jesus Messiah”
Ex-president Carter is onto something!
I worked at an office where some are still waiting for Pres. Obama to come right out and declare he is not a Muslim, as if that were something he needed to “confess” if in fact he were.
And how about the eight percent of New Jersey residents polled who believe Pres. Obama is the anti-Christ?
Tort reform without tort reform (the Obama med mal planning grants) does little more than to paper over an issue that he knows he chooses not to address. Docs won’t reduce their defensive medicine unless the legal climate changes, something that you won’t find in the 1,100 page bills advanced by Obama’s congressional friends.
..you da MAN!!!!
Sorry, I couldn’t stay away!!!
It’s so nice to hear the lawyers squirm. Like they really care about patient safety. If you believe that…
This is just about the first good thing Obama has done.
Apparently it is ok to ease the impact of malpractice suits on the U.S. medical system by shifting it to the U.S. tax payers. Makes me feel so much better about the health care overhaul.
This seems like it’s just throwing a bone to the Republicans. I think most would argue that tort reform is needed, but another $25 million tax-payer dollars added to the deficit for what will probably amount to the equalivent of spitting on a fire.
I am not so sure this is tort reform. The article does not say that to me.
…25,000,000 divided by the total of the senate bill out of conference recently 865,000,000,000 = a whopping .002% of the health care bill. So med mal is about .002% of the cost of healthcare?
Hardly. This isn’t even a bone or a crumb from an oreo cookie.
Imagine if the majority of the members of Congress were, I dont know, lets say insurance industry personnel. Imagine if those insurance industry personnel in Congress were considering legislation that would greatly enhance insurance industry profits and opportunities. Can you imagine the hue and cry of “Conflict of Interest” that would arise. And yet despite the fact that the vast majority of the members of Congress are and have been lawyers & the majority of the members of almost all state legislatures are lawyers, no one seems to care about the obvious “Conflict of Interest” which occurs
almost daily. We need to protect ourselves from these leeches who are leading the way to destroying the American way of life. How about “Conflict of Interest” legislation which forbids lawyers to serve as members of Congress or State legislatures.
PS. Hey Massachusets legislature, your hypocrisy and corruption are showing. Why not just pass a law that says whatever the Democrats want whenever a succession issue arises is legal. At least it would be more honest. Can you guys even spell “HONEST”.
What it is, is a pay off to the AMA that has supported this fraudulent president’s so-called healthcare agenda against the express wishes of most of its membership and most of the American people. It’s not going to make a damn bit of difference except to shift a minuscule amount of the total cost of malpractice litigation to the taxpayers. The plaintiffs bar who’d like us to believe they’re great humanitarians will continue to be enriched. This abominable administration will see to it, and anything else they say is just lies.
The grants to the states will end up in the hands of corrupt insurance commissioners and will give them even more money to siphon off for themselves. The one in Kansas just went to jail and there are some others being investigated as we speak.
Yeah, the same “Curious” that asked a question about creating free market competition from the article about Leahy’s proposed anti-trust legislation.
In the same vein, since tort reform is typically legislated at the state level, as much as those of us in “the industry” would like to see it, wouldn’t it be difficult to coordinate national tort reform without taking that power away from the states?
And secondly, if, heaven forbid, we ended up with Co-ops which morphed into a Public Option, which is simply a Trojan Horse for a Single Payor system, wouldn’t the same governmental immunity that protects municipalities, states & the military, also limit litigation on a totally government run… (sorry I just threw up a little in my mouth…) health care program?
Appreicate feedback on this issue from some of you experts out there, again, so I’ll be better armed to discuss these issues with my “progressive” acquaintances.
Yep, I said it. You people don’t have the slightest idea of which you speak. “Fraudulent administration”, etc, ad nauseum. What a bunch of self-riotous fools. Have any of you been to a doctor in the past five years? Had a family member with a major illness? Been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy by co-pays and deductibles? I bet not. Also betting none of you have any clue as to how much malpractice premiums actual cost physicians.
Single-payer is the only way to avoid more fraud, graft and excess by health insurers, who are ONLY in it for their profits (and don’t plead to me about the so-called “non” profits. They’re just as bad. Google “Blue Cross” and “rescission”). Take the profit motive out of health insurance and you might just have something. Otherwise it continues to be underwritten exactly as auto insurance.
Yay! We’re 36th in the world (quality)_ and #1 for cost!
Legal drinking age is set by the state, so how did the federal government force a federal reg on states? Easy, MONEY. Those states that did not have drinking age set to 21 were denied or reduced federal dollars for streets and roads. Same hammer could be applied to states regarding tort reform with medicaid dollars. Or you could go the liberal route and state its “for the children”
==The U.S. healthcare industry costs $2.5 trillion annually but leaves 46 million Americans uninsured and with little access to medical care.==
Baloney.
12M? illegal aliens
8M can afford it but don’t buy it
10M qualify for Medicare but don’t apply
Hussein himself has said it was 46M, 47M, and last week during his pack o’ lies before a join session of congress, he said 30M.
A stopped clock is right twice a day. Hussein? Not so much.
Gee thanks for the racist nutball opinion.
YOU lie. But then if you knew just how stupid you sounded…
Whatever. Go back to Faux News and put down the keyboard and brain. They’ll tell you all your little head needs to know.
==Yay! We’re 36th in the world (quality)_ and #1 for cost!==
Right. That’s why so many people come here from nations listed above us by the WHO.
The WHO judged a country’s quality of health on life expectancy. But that’s a lousy measure of a health-care system. Many things that cause premature death have nothing do with medical care. We have far more fatal transportation accidents than other countries. That’s not a health-care problem.
Similarly, our homicide rate is 10 times higher than in the U.K., eight times higher than in France, and five times greater than in Canada.
When you adjust for these “fatal injury” rates, U.S. life expectancy is actually higher than in nearly every other industrialized nation.
Diet and lack of exercise also bring down average life expectancy.
Another reason the U.S. didn’t score high in the WHO rankings is that we are less socialistic than other nations. What has that got to do with the quality of health care? For the authors of the study, it’s crucial. The WHO judged countries not on the absolute quality of health care, but on how “fairly” health care of any quality is “distributed.” The problem here is obvious. By that criterion, a country with high-quality care overall but “unequal distribution” would rank below a country with lower quality care but equal distribution.
It’s when this so-called “fairness,” a highly subjective standard, is factored in that the U.S. scores go south.
The U.S. ranking is influenced heavily by the number of people — 45 million — without medical insurance. As I reported in previous columns, our government aggravates that problem by making insurance artificially expensive with, for example, mandates for coverage that many people would not choose and forbidding us to buy policies from companies in another state.
Even with these interventions, the 45 million figure is misleading. Thirty-seven percent of that group live in households making more than $50,000 a year, says the U.S. Census Bureau. Nineteen percent are in households making more than $75,000 a year; 20 percent are not citizens, and 33 percent are eligible for existing government programs but are not enrolled.
For all its problems, the U.S. ranks at the top for quality of care and innovation, including development of life-saving drugs. It “falters” only when the criterion is proximity to socialized medicine.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/08/why_the_us_ranks_low_on_whos_h.html
~~~
We need major tort reform, potability, and allowing companies to well in any state they wish. None of that would cost the govt a dime.
But if the real purpose was to bankrupt the country while imposing authortarianism on the populace, then Hussein’s “plan” would be just what the doctor ordered.
Wow, lotsa namecalling from you (an obvious homosexual) but no reasoned discourse.
What did I say that was racist, you theif and serial killer?
Adjuster, people like you that have to bring racism into every disagreement are never to be taken seriously; therefore, I am requesting IJ to remove your comment. Until you can actually get a brain yourself and some constructive arguments, your comments can remain with you. Grow up! Not every comment that you disagree with is race related. Maybe you should sue him for a hate crime! Big Baby!
Just the intelligent repartee I would expect from a Faux News Head.
Put down the keyboard and go back to Uncle Glen..he’ll tell you all you need to know. Better yet, find a phrenologist to better identify your psychosis.
Have a great day!
Gee. Guess I should expect the IJ police to knock on my door. Sensitive at all?
Bring on the cuffs…
… lets see some figures. For the last year available.
1) Give me the number of fraud and abuse by the private health insurance companies.
2) Give me the number of medicare fraud dollars.
3) Give me the medicaid fraud numbers.
4) A poll is only an opinion. Please do not cite anymore polls. Because if you do I will tell you 85% of Americans are happy with their current health insurance.
5) Why can’t we start prosecuting those that are cheating the system TODAY? Is it now illegal to prosecute fraud?
6) Please tell me the number of fraud cases prosecuted by the justice deprtment in since January 20, 2009.
Look forward to your prompt response.
PS yours and everyone elses opinion to do not matter a wit to me. I want concrete facts and figures, not your emotions.
Wow. More enlightening name-calling. You have a gift for ignoring the points in a debate, and a gift for making a jack@ss of yourself, and you managed to use them both in the same thread!
You oughta get a job with ACORN. You’d fit right in, intellectually.
==PS yours and everyone elses opinion to do not matter a wit to me. I want concrete facts and figures, not your emotions.==
Sssshhhh… he’s a liberal, he doesn’t know what facts are…
I don’t recall mentioning fraud except for alluding to the useless “fraudulent administration” non-comment.
Look up you own “facts”. I KNOW the system is broken and the insurers are not going to help fix it.
No idea how many fraud cases are prosecuted; I’ve been told (there’s a great non-fact, I know) by physicians that Medicare is absolutely heavy-handed in doling out fines for BOTH over and UNDER billing. The last one with whom I spoke was fined for under-billing (!)
Ferreting out fraud and abuse won’t likely save nearly enough money to pay for a good system. Taking insurers out of the picture will.
Yep. Facts like “death panels” right?
Why does this resemble a Cash for Clunkers temporary type grab? Nothing about Tort reform at all in this article.
And why is it that when the liberal left gets desperate they play the race card? Oh and now Pelosi is playing the Gay card after Jimmy Carters reckless assumptions.
All the while Obama is stumping his cult personality over concrete answers. You’d think he’s running again already for President. What’s next a stereotypical guest visit to a late night TV show? Do I hear Leno?
I expected no less from you sir (or maam). When confronted with honest questions?
You respond with ridicule?
Again, look up your own statistics if you like.
Read this article and tell me insurance companies are the “answer” to reform:
http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2009/09/17/103771.htm
==Yep. Facts like “death panels” right?==
Yes, which were removed two days after Sarahcuda brought them up. Because you know, they weren’t there, so they had to be taken out from where they weren’t.
SocialSecurityMedicare/aid = $46TRILLION in unfunded liabilities.
That’s what govt insurance does for the health of a nation.
Knew you’d somehow think there was ANY “death panel” in any of these bills. There never was. N E V E R. Period. Its a LIE. And you and that woman from Alaska keep repeating it. But then like the former president, if you repeat a big enough lie enough times, someone will think its true.
How about GOP efforts to push grandma from the train with Medicare cuts less than five years ago? Guess those “death panels” never hit your radar screen.
Again, go back to Uncle Bill and Aunt Sean, they’ll tell you all the “facts” you need.
Ah. So get rid of Medicare and Social Security. Throw grandma from the train.
“I got mine, the hell with all of the rest of you” right? Typical GOP. Bet you think you’re a “Christian” as well.
So your anwer is $15,000,000 total fraud?
Where are we going to get the other $864,985,000,000 so it is deficit neutral?
Adjuster, you are an idiot. Sorry to be blunt, but it’s true. You have nothing to back up your claims and you try to insult people. Back at you.
OK. Lost me there.
Were you GOPers so worried about deficits when W was starting his own little war? Guess Haliburton profits are much more important than taking care of your fellow human beings.
… you keep it up, and to the rest of you keep on fighting the good fight. Great stuff from all, but it is time for me to golf.
If you’re on your way to the golf course, then I really have to call you names!!
Have a great round (even though you can tell I’d much rather be out there too!)
The end of life conseling Sarah was referring to was removed two days later.
Plus, Hussein is going to pay for HusseinCare by slashing Medicare funding.
You’d know this if you were watching something other than the state-controlled media.
WOW. Went from “death panels” to end of life counseling.
The GOP put that provision IN the bill. Sarah the Great made up the “death panel” crap all in her own little head.
And Sarah the GReat actually signed into law an Alaska Law encouraging all to seek “end of life counseling”. She’s pathological.
Death Panels were/are/will always be a LIE.
you people are incredible… scream for tort reform and then complain when it gets studied for effectiveness… you all just hate Obama. Period.
OK – I’m turning of my notification indicator because nobody gave me any productive feedback and all you guys did is load up my e-mail in-box notifications of with your sniping, sacrasic comments, especially you, Adjuster.
You really need to watch something other than MSLSD because Madcow and Overbite are turning you into a bitter, angry person.
It’s sad, really.
I have seen the President referred to as:
“Barry”
“Hussein”
“The Messiah”
“baby Jesus Messiah”
Ex-president Carter is onto something!
I worked at an office where some are still waiting for Pres. Obama to come right out and declare he is not a Muslim, as if that were something he needed to “confess” if in fact he were.
And how about the eight percent of New Jersey residents polled who believe Pres. Obama is the anti-Christ?
http://www.examiner.com/x-21448-Charlotte-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m9d16-Eight-percent-of-New-Jersey-residents-polled-think-Obamas-the-AntiChrist
Tort reform without tort reform (the Obama med mal planning grants) does little more than to paper over an issue that he knows he chooses not to address. Docs won’t reduce their defensive medicine unless the legal climate changes, something that you won’t find in the 1,100 page bills advanced by Obama’s congressional friends.