Tort Reform. Healthcare Reform. After awhile, it’s all a jumbled mess and the pundits have our minds spinning.
Legal reform. Defensive medicine costs (doctors defending themselves and their practices – which you and I pay for!) that waste billions of dollars and do nothing for the patients. Health care reform that benefits trial attorneys or patients? It can all be a bit confusing. Then, I happened across a bit of info that helped me clear up an issue or two. I hope it helps you.
“Many states…have enacted caps on lawsuit awards against health care providers. Texas enacted caps and found that one county’s medical malpractice claims dropped 41 percent, and another study found a “55 percent decline” after reform measures were passed. [4] That’s one step in health care reform. Limiting lawyer contingency fees, as is done under the Federal Tort Claims Act, is another step. The State of Alaska pioneered the “loser pays” rule in the United States, which deters frivolous civil law suits by making the loser partially pay the winner’s legal bills. Preventing quack doctors from giving “expert” testimony in court against real doctors is another reform.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry noted that, after his state enacted tort reform measures, the number of doctors applying to practice medicine in Texas “skyrocketed by 57 percent” and that the tort reforms “brought critical specialties to underserved areas.” These are real reforms that actually improve access to health care. [5]
Dr. Weinstein’s research shows that around $200 billion per year could be saved with legal reform. That’s real savings. That’s money that could be used to build roads, schools, or hospitals.
If you want to save health care, let’s listen to our doctors. There should be no health care reform without legal reform. There can be no true health care reform without legal reform.”
I have to say, this was news to me…
S.
Source: http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=24718773587