Concerning medical malpractice, if the goal is to cut down on defensive medicine, not sure how putting a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages will change doctor behavior. The only parties that would benefit would be malpractice insurers. It’s my understanding that in other countries, doctors are shielded from malpractice suits by statute but not sure exactly how this works.
Saying that capping the non-economic damages at $250K will deter lawsuits is like saying the death penalty deters folks from killing each other. Tort reform is only political window dressing and a new puzzle for the plaintiff’s bar to work their way through; closing the honeypot would prove to be nearly insurmountable and another bandaid solution to a root cultural problem. Answer the question of how we make people stop thinking they’re entitled to something everytime someone makes a mistake and you’ll have the real answer to the problem. If that’s even possible, it will take more years than I have left on this earth.
Placing a limit on noneconomic damages does nothing to lower health care spending. It simply denies the people who are most seriously injured from recovering fair compensation.
So-called defensive medicine is a myth. I live in Wisconsin, where a doctor never has to personally pay a penny for injuries he or she causes because of negligence. Every doctor carries a primary liability insurance policy of $1 million. The Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, with assets of $800 million, then pays any judgment or settlement in excess of the primary coverage. We have a limit on noneconomic damages of $750,000. Wisconsin doctors pay the third lowest premiums in the country for their primary coverage. In 2009 there were only 137 medical malpractice lawsuits filed in the entire state, which has a population of 5.6 million. That is one case for every 41,000 people. There were only 64 payments made to people injured by negligent doctors in 2008, which translates to 3.7 payments for every 1,000 practicing doctors. It cannot get any better than this for a doctor. Yet, the health care costs in Wisconsin are about as high as in any state in the country. Don’t buy the claimed need for putting further limits on the recovery for people injured by medical negligence.
The time for platitudes and fancy rhetoric is over. We want meaningful action on a number of fronts. Obama said many of the same things last year and look at what we got. He still doesn’t get it on Investment/Spending. Our business climate will not recover and the economy will not grow to any great extent with the shackles of government on the American business. He still thinks he can spend his way to prosperity. The money is not there and we cannot borrow 40 cents of every dollar to pay bills.
True, some of what he said was said last year. But to your statement, “look at what we got”; it’s hard to accomplish things when you have one side saying no to everything. You either have no memory or slept through the passing of the multiple tax decreases in December 2010. How is that for pursuing the recovery of the business climate. Regarding your contention on Obama’s love of spending, the prior administration never vetoed a spending bill. Look it up. Medicair Part D. What a joke. A Republican administration and majority slammed that bill through. Deficits have balooned under Republican administrations over the last 30 years. Now the Repubs are using the Tea Party.
Businesses grow because the demand for whatevcer they produce exceeds production. “Gov’t shackles” has little or nothing to do with hiring. Now, getting employers out of providing HC ins. and replacing with a single payer gov’t run program like most other countries, that would greatly reduce cost and encourage hiring.
I think reform to the medical malpractice system is critical to our health care. Insurance companies get excited about reform because they think it will mean caps. Caps aren’t the answer. Caps are used because often it brings quick relief to medical malpractice insurance rates. See my blog http://www.equotemd.com/blog Caps however don’t compensate patients properly when a patient is injured. Many of the states like Texas have caps that very low and entice doctors to come practice there leaving other states with doctor shortages. We need reform but it needs to be reform that works for both sides, doctors and patients.
If only it were true. Next headline: Insurers think rhetoric will save them money!
Concerning medical malpractice, if the goal is to cut down on defensive medicine, not sure how putting a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages will change doctor behavior. The only parties that would benefit would be malpractice insurers. It’s my understanding that in other countries, doctors are shielded from malpractice suits by statute but not sure exactly how this works.
The cap is about reducing the incentive to sue. If there are fewer lawsuits, there is less need for the defensive medicine practices.
Saying that capping the non-economic damages at $250K will deter lawsuits is like saying the death penalty deters folks from killing each other. Tort reform is only political window dressing and a new puzzle for the plaintiff’s bar to work their way through; closing the honeypot would prove to be nearly insurmountable and another bandaid solution to a root cultural problem. Answer the question of how we make people stop thinking they’re entitled to something everytime someone makes a mistake and you’ll have the real answer to the problem. If that’s even possible, it will take more years than I have left on this earth.
Placing a limit on noneconomic damages does nothing to lower health care spending. It simply denies the people who are most seriously injured from recovering fair compensation.
So-called defensive medicine is a myth. I live in Wisconsin, where a doctor never has to personally pay a penny for injuries he or she causes because of negligence. Every doctor carries a primary liability insurance policy of $1 million. The Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, with assets of $800 million, then pays any judgment or settlement in excess of the primary coverage. We have a limit on noneconomic damages of $750,000. Wisconsin doctors pay the third lowest premiums in the country for their primary coverage. In 2009 there were only 137 medical malpractice lawsuits filed in the entire state, which has a population of 5.6 million. That is one case for every 41,000 people. There were only 64 payments made to people injured by negligent doctors in 2008, which translates to 3.7 payments for every 1,000 practicing doctors. It cannot get any better than this for a doctor. Yet, the health care costs in Wisconsin are about as high as in any state in the country. Don’t buy the claimed need for putting further limits on the recovery for people injured by medical negligence.
The time for platitudes and fancy rhetoric is over. We want meaningful action on a number of fronts. Obama said many of the same things last year and look at what we got. He still doesn’t get it on Investment/Spending. Our business climate will not recover and the economy will not grow to any great extent with the shackles of government on the American business. He still thinks he can spend his way to prosperity. The money is not there and we cannot borrow 40 cents of every dollar to pay bills.
True, some of what he said was said last year. But to your statement, “look at what we got”; it’s hard to accomplish things when you have one side saying no to everything. You either have no memory or slept through the passing of the multiple tax decreases in December 2010. How is that for pursuing the recovery of the business climate. Regarding your contention on Obama’s love of spending, the prior administration never vetoed a spending bill. Look it up. Medicair Part D. What a joke. A Republican administration and majority slammed that bill through. Deficits have balooned under Republican administrations over the last 30 years. Now the Repubs are using the Tea Party.
Businesses grow because the demand for whatevcer they produce exceeds production. “Gov’t shackles” has little or nothing to do with hiring. Now, getting employers out of providing HC ins. and replacing with a single payer gov’t run program like most other countries, that would greatly reduce cost and encourage hiring.
What can we learn about medical professional liability from prior economic downturns? http://www.healthcaretownhall.com/?p=3296
I think reform to the medical malpractice system is critical to our health care. Insurance companies get excited about reform because they think it will mean caps. Caps aren’t the answer. Caps are used because often it brings quick relief to medical malpractice insurance rates. See my blog http://www.equotemd.com/blog Caps however don’t compensate patients properly when a patient is injured. Many of the states like Texas have caps that very low and entice doctors to come practice there leaving other states with doctor shortages. We need reform but it needs to be reform that works for both sides, doctors and patients.
Razia