Cybercast News Service: Critics of universal health care have said the system would be like the DMV, where there would be so many lines and so much bureaucracy to get through. What do you think about that scenario?
Michael Tanner: Sure, all you have to do is look at the health care systems that the government runs today. The VA [Veterans Administration] is a national disgrace. Medicaid? That gives you poor quality at a high cost and Medicaid is $70 trillion in debt; that’s not a very good track record ….
Cybercast News Service: Are there any alternatives that you think would be better than a Universal system?
Michael Tanner: I think what we have to do is, number one, bring down the cost of health care so that more people can afford health care so that more people can get into the health care system and get the care they need. Second, we should be doing things to improve the quality of care and make sure that the people getting into the health care system are getting the best care they can ….
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Competition, Choice Key to Health Care Reform, Says Expert
Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by Revmitchell, Aug 21, 2008.
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Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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I don't mind paying the doctor, at least I get something from him. What I resent is paying his lawyer and insurance agent so they can settle with the next idiot who sues him.
The reason we no longer have a hospital in our town in John Edwards and his fellow malpractice specialists. -
Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Exactly! :thumbs: -
If someone goes in to have carpal tunnel fixed and comes out missing an arm, who should they sue if not the doctor?
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You lost your arm, that is bad, but if the doctor did everything he should have then why should he be cutting you a check? You knew there was some risk when you went into surgery.
What lawyers in general and Jon Edwards specifically did in North Carolina was he sued doctors when the damages were no fault of their own. Edwards specialized in suing OB doctors when children were born with birth defects. The result was that most of the OB doctors moved out of our state. A lot of hospitals closed down and many of the ones open now will not deliver babies. Those that do still deliver babies have to hold very expensive insurance policies to settle with the lawyers. That of course results in higher costs for the consumers.
In your example above TC who do you think really pays the cost of that lawsuit? In the long run it is not the doctor or his insurance, it is the next 10,000 people that need carpal tunnel surgery. And then eventualy the cost gets so high that people who need surgery can't get it. -
just-want-peace Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
NCT, your post agrees with this email that I received yesterday!
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Besides, what about lost wages?
I'm all for reform, but if the doctor was grossly negligent, causing irreparable harm, he should be forced to pay and should have his license revoked.
The victim shouldn't be left without recourse. Besides, any criminal actions would be minimal at best.
At the bare minimum, the individual should have the cost of future treatment covered. -
I will go along with reparations for documented losses. That would include the cost of past and current treatment and lost wages but not legal representation. This should be part of the CRIMINAL lawsuit and it should also include jailtime for the convicted doctor. They should never be allowed to pay their way out of neglegence.
If you kill someone your fear should not be, wow this is going to cost me a lot of money, it should be, wow I am going to jail for a long time.
My beef is not with someone seeking to reclaim real losses but those who sue for million dollar settlements because they see doctor's deep pockets. In the case of Edwards he sued for birth defects that were purely heredical and in no way related to the doctor's care. That is why if you have had a child in the last 10 years they have offered to do all these prenatal tests on your baby in order to accurately forcast defects. Not because they can do anything about them short of killing your child, but they can document that you were told. -
I agree that there are way too many frivolous lawsuits out there and reform is needed across the board. However, too many of the reform proposals I have read severely limit the patients ability to get real compensation for real losses. That is not right.
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If there were a loser pays system it would probably eliminate a lot of frivolous lawsuits in the medical field and across the board. In other words, if you file a law suit against me and you lose then you are responsible to pay my court costs, lawyer's fees, and other expenses incurred in defending myself.
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What about eliminating this practice where the lawyer gets a cut of the settlement if you win. -
Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter