Another Bush bait and switch, in the "tort reform" area.

[Inland]

The president shows up in Madison County, Illinois, to discuss medical malpractice awards and limits on plaintiff's recovery. Madison County is bruited as a litigation hellhole. So there must be a huge amount of medical malpractice cases in Madison County, right?

Wrong. It is a bait and switch. Madison County is rightly famous for consumer class action suits, and not for malpractice. For example, the tobacco companies got hit with a huge award in a jury trial there.

Interesting, isn't it? The president's words are how the medical industry is in peril. His acts are how the tobacco industry is in peril. Since limits on recovery on malpractice is the most sympathetic of all, the tobacco companies, dangerous drug makers, defective product makers will all find a way to piggy back in a "tort reform". The cry will be, if limits are good enough for doctors, why not us? So you can expect to find that if your tires blow and you are horrifically injured, you wont' be compensated: but if you run over a tire industry exec, you will pay full frieght, because he counts and you don't.

[bryant69]

1. This is entirely the point

Medical Malpractice is just the first step. The goal is to remove all coorporate liability.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Tony_Illinois]

2. That is exactly the goal. This has already been done in the area

of environmental "protection" and wildlife preservation. The EPA and the Interior Department have done nothing but enable corporate misuse of our country to unchecked since GWB took office. There is just an incredible scandal there that needs to be exposed for what it is.

[canadianbeaver]

3. Yawn.......I have had it with "needs to be exposed for what it is....

The number of scandals that need to be exposed is unmeasurable....It just goes on and on and on.....I for one am tired of hearing about it with no action.....sorry.

Who is gonna do the exposing?
No really?

Who is gonna see the exposing?
other than DU.

Does anyone care anymore?
Meaning the people who could make a statement would not be shown to the rest of the US and so those that don't care see nothing....It is very dark on the horizon for those of us who see *wacko for what he and his really are!

Money rules the airwaves and the papers....
Money rules peoples actions in this regard....
Money rules over all with any type of power.....
Money makes people forget what they really care about....
Such a short term gain for what? Money and Power...

ON and ON the world spins....as does the *wackos...and there seems to be no one who can bring them down...I wait with baited breath for the intelligent to show me I'm wrong...Maybe tomorrow the sun will come out!!!

Please make me eat my words.....PLEASE...I would do it gladly and I aim to take a picture of me eating this if I am wrong....

Make me eat my words please....someone stand up and don't let them push you down...

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[underpants]

5. First-Welcome to DU second what does Tort reform have to do with this?

the answer: Nothing

Tort reform and increased malpractice insurance premiums have nothing to do with each other at least as the legislation is now written. In fact proponents of tort reform are very careful not to make the connection they let the listener do that for them.

Not one tort reform measure that has been proposed or passed by any legislature says anything about capping insurance premiums or tying them to passage of the legislation. These laws only limit the possible liability to insurers (thus lowering their re-insurance premiums) leaving the doctor's premium open to anything including INCREASES.


http://www.insurance-reform.org/

[ChairOne]

6. Bullshit. The problem is that doctors refuse to police themselves....

... combined with idiotic investing strategies on the part of the (re)insurers.

Practically *no* frivolous lawsuits get anywhere, and there is no such thing as "runaway jury awards".

The biggest problem is that the medical industry has no functioning mechanism to prevent "mistake prone" doctors from, um, continuing to make mistakes, and steadfastly refuses to institute a robust system for that purpose.

Same idea as cops refusing to snitch on other cops, and teachers refusing testing that will show how stupid they are.

EDIT: Forgot a helpful link:

http://www.citizen.org/documents/MedMalBriefingBook08-09-04.pdf

There are a lot of others, including goverment studies, all to the effect that limiting a citizen's right to seek redress for harm is mean and idiotic. But this link might suffice for now.