Re: President Bush on Med Mal

[Guest guest]

It has long been known that his 'tort reform' holds less water than his

'weapons of mass destruction' did. sk

Sunny Kierstyn, RN DC Fibromyalgia Care Center of Oregon 711 Country Club

Rd., #1A Eugene, Oregon 541-345-9436

President Bush on Med Mal

> OR DCs,

> This is not exactly Bush-friendly...but then I'm not either.

> C Simpson

>

>

> STATISTICS DON'T SUPPORT BUSH'S CLAIM THAT TORT REFORM WILL MINIMIZE COSTS

>

> Arguing that his economic policies consist of more than tax cuts geared to

> the wealthy, President Bush maintained last week in his year-end press

> conference that tort reform is a key part of his " pro-growth " agenda,

saying

> that it, " would have made a difference " to benefit the economy. Earlier

> this year, the president went further, saying that the proliferation of

> medical malpractice lawsuits are " a national problem that needs a national

> solution. " But a recent study by the National Center for State Courts

found

> that medical malpractice lawsuits per capita actually decreased in the

most

> recent ten-year period examined.

>

> The president has tried to qualify his support for tort reform by

insisting

> it's needed for plaintiffs with a " legitimate claim . . . [who] deserve a

> court that is uncluttered by frivolous and junk lawsuits. " But the

> American Bar Association recently found that only a fraction of civil

cases

> filed - 1.8 percent - went to trial. Fewer cases went to trial in 2002

than

> in 1962.

>

> While Bush claims, " everybody pays more for health care " due to " excessive

> litigation, " a study released last month shows that medical malpractice

> insurers have raised rates on doctors well beyond the cost of payouts,

> particularly since 2001. Payouts and premiums for medical malpractice

> claims accounted for less than one percent of total health care costs.

> Even the president of the American Tort Reform Association said in 1999,

" We

> wouldn't tell you or anyone that the reason to pass tort reform would be

to

> reduce insurance rates. "

>

> Medical malpractice costs as a proportion of national health care spending

> are less than 60 cents out of every $100 spent. In fact, malpractice

> premiums as a percentage of all health costs have declined from 0.95% in

> 1988 to 0.56% in 2000. On the other hand, prescription drugs costs make

up

> about 11% of all health costs - the second largest portion after hospital

> spending - and are projected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

> Services to reach 14% in 2010. Despite these facts, the president

chooses

> to support a Medicare bill that would prevent the Medicare administrator

> from negotiating lower prescription drug costs.

>

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