PaulRevere
08-31-2002, 09:25 AM
Paul Greenberg (archive)
August 30, 2002
A plague spread by lawyers
It's happening all over the country. Plaintiffs' lawyers are suing and collecting. Which means insurance companies are having to pay. Which means doctors and hospitals are being charged higher and higher premiums for their malpractice insurance. Which means that, in state after state, doctors can't afford to practice and hospitals have to cut back on services. Which means people who need medical attention don't get it.
Lest you think that's an exaggeration, check out this front-page story in Sunday's New York Times:
Rise in Insurance Forces Hospitals To Shutter Wards
It's happening across the country, according to The Times:
"In the last few weeks, the only trauma center in Las Vegas closed for 10 days; the Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, Fla., reduced surgical procedures for five days; and a handful of rural clinics across Mississippi sat empty in the summer heat for part of a week. All the problems were because of problems with problems with malpractice insurance. .
The complaints have grown familiar by now. They come from doctors ready to pack it in, and hospital administrators at the end of their tether. And the facts back them up. The conclusion becomes inescapable: There's a health crisis in the legal making.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~snip~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Bush administration has tried to get Congress' attention as this medical/legal crisis developed. It suggested limiting out-of-control jury awards, but was stymied by the Democrats in the Senate.
When one party has been largely captured by a special interest -- in this case, the trial lawyers' lobby -- the chances for reform begin to resemble those of a poor patient in urban Philadelphia or rural Mississippi.
web page (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/paulgreenberg/pg20020830.shtml)
August 30, 2002
A plague spread by lawyers
It's happening all over the country. Plaintiffs' lawyers are suing and collecting. Which means insurance companies are having to pay. Which means doctors and hospitals are being charged higher and higher premiums for their malpractice insurance. Which means that, in state after state, doctors can't afford to practice and hospitals have to cut back on services. Which means people who need medical attention don't get it.
Lest you think that's an exaggeration, check out this front-page story in Sunday's New York Times:
Rise in Insurance Forces Hospitals To Shutter Wards
It's happening across the country, according to The Times:
"In the last few weeks, the only trauma center in Las Vegas closed for 10 days; the Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, Fla., reduced surgical procedures for five days; and a handful of rural clinics across Mississippi sat empty in the summer heat for part of a week. All the problems were because of problems with problems with malpractice insurance. .
The complaints have grown familiar by now. They come from doctors ready to pack it in, and hospital administrators at the end of their tether. And the facts back them up. The conclusion becomes inescapable: There's a health crisis in the legal making.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~snip~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Bush administration has tried to get Congress' attention as this medical/legal crisis developed. It suggested limiting out-of-control jury awards, but was stymied by the Democrats in the Senate.
When one party has been largely captured by a special interest -- in this case, the trial lawyers' lobby -- the chances for reform begin to resemble those of a poor patient in urban Philadelphia or rural Mississippi.
web page (http://www.townhall.com/columnists/paulgreenberg/pg20020830.shtml)