When using tort reform as a means to lower health care costs have you actually looked at the facts? While to the casual observer capping judgements seems as a way to bring down medical cost. Most fail to realize the rates charged to doctors has more to do with meeting wall street expectation than payouts to victims of doctors negligence. Yes this coverage is needed by all doctors, insurance companies can charge doctors high rates for this coverage. The doctors then pass this cost on to patients. Tort reform will have no impact on health care costs.
DAR
It would definitely impact it, but it isn't the cure.
Ron Paul suggested that the antitrust laws be reversed that prevent doctors from entering into arbitration agreements with patients, so recovery isn't necessarily limited but the cost and time it takes to get to the recovery stage is much much less.
The Zeitgeist
Tort reform is a bigger joke than Glen Beck.
It has been tried and failed miserably.
In fact, there has never been an example to cite where it worked.
It is not even part of a plan. Just look at the malpractice insurance premiums in the states with the lowest award caps. They are among the highest in the country!
Doh!!!
regerugged
You are totally wrong. Some doctors pay as much as $ 200,000 a year just for medical malpractice insurance. On top of that they have to have commercial general liability insurance. Then there is personal injury liability insurance. Then some umbrella liability coverage.
If a doctor cannot be sued for medical malpractice, he does not need the insurance. So he saves $ 200,000 per year.
JamesP
Ya, let's bring in the personal injury attorneys to make this health care
thing less complicated.
Of course it needs reform, but please don't give the rep's any ideas on `how to make sure a health care bill never happens.
Bryan M
Then explain to me how TORT reform has worked in Texas? And the quality of the care there has gotten better. And why doctors are flocking towards Texas to work there?
sl63128
There are many unnecessary tests and procedures that are ordered by physicians in order to defensively practice medicine, so if sued they can prove they provided all means possible to diagnosis and treat their patients. Millions is spent for these unnecessary tests and procedures that would not occur if tort reform was put in place.
Finally, many hospitals pay a portion of their practicing physicians malpractice insurance and in some cases if that physicians signs on to only service that hospital all is covered. Keeping in mind those physicians in private practice too who pay their own malpractice insurance and then have to charge more to practice thus costs of services are higher. In order for hospitals to do this they drive up the cost of all medications, procedures, tests, surgery's, and hospital stays to cover the outrageous costs of malpractice insurance. So with that said, it would in fact cut these costs down if tort reform was in place.
There are of coarse many other costs that would be cut if tort reform was in place.
phil
it would help ,along with going after fraud,and increasing the number of medical schools or students. most people don't know but when they formed the American medical association one of the first things they did was close half of the medical schools creating a lower number of doctors making for less competition. if we tried those 3 things cost would drop dramatically
Nikki
I disagree. Having several friends who are doctors & one a very famous & successful one, their main complaint, aside from people not taking care of themselves, is about the frivolous lawsuits they must deal with & the exorbitant costs of malpractice insurance. It's the lawyers. People only need contact a lawyer & with no charge to themsleves the lawyers filing reams of paperwork & the doctor MUST respond. Reign in lawyers. Yo'll reign in health care costs.
And that applies to most everything.
Pascha
I agree with you.
Not only are average payouts to victims of malpractice not nearly as high as the people crying for "tort reform" claim, many victims of malpractice get nothing. Most cannot even find a lawyer to represent them, because they are too old, too young, or too poor to have a high "earnings capacity," on which a high malpractice award can be based.
The "tort reform" that is necessary is the kind that gets rid of the doctors whose careless and negligence causes disability and death.
Orignal From: Tips: using tort reform to lower health care costs?
Post a Comment