Indigent patients are killing community hospitals.

[Jhhnn]

Yeh, heartsugeon, but that has nothing to do with trauma patients, who often get busted up, cut up or shot through little or no fault of their own.

Not everybody is a victim of their own weaknesses- your argument is akin to ending welfare because a few abuse it...

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc

The person we shouldn't exempt is the 42 year old welfare beer drinking asshole that beats his wife and smokes 5 packs a day. We should just allow him to DIE.

You do realize that our current system DEMANDS he receive care for his heart attack, diabetic ketoacidosis, or stroke . . . but if said he wanted:

1) alcohol detox: there's no guarantee of placement b/c there aren't that many facilities and inpatient psychiatric wards dislike consuming their minimal resources trying to help alcoholics.
2) smoking cessation: minimal reimbursement from private health insurance or Medicaid
3) dietary counseling: no reimbursement from private health insurance or Medicaid
4) violence prevention counseling: no reimbursement from private health insurance or Medicaid

You see . . . despite the self-inflicted problems of your protagonist . . . the system is not designed to provide any assistance to promoting healthy behaviors.

There are plenty of AA/NA and smoking help groups out there. There are plenty of violence related help groups and a plethora of dietary information available for free at the library. People are just too lazy.

 

[heartsurgeon]

busted up, cut up or shot through little or no fault of their own.

whoa there partner...i treat these "trauma" patients regularly, and the VAST majority are drunk, involved with drug deals gone bad, beating the girlfriend/getting knifed by the girlfriend, your basic low-lifes.

i've got news for you...your odds of ending up in a emergency room for "trauma" is pretty darn miniscule if you are a "regular" citizen that isn't getting smashed and then going out for a car ride, or involved in crime or criminal behavior. if your someone who leads a more "sporting" life, your odds of getting knifed, shot, beaten up, or hurt in a car accident go way up.

p.s. every single person who i've operated on that was stabbed "claimed" they didn't know who did it or why....
it always turned out to be someone they knew, and had an altercation with....

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

EDIT: personal reference not necessary

There are plenty of AA/NA and smoking help groups out there. There are plenty of violence related help groups and a plethora of dietary information available for free at the library. People are just too lazy.

Have you ever tried to place an ER patient into a residential treatment facility? Have you ever tried to place an inpatient dual diagnosis (substance + psychiatric illness) into a residential treatment facility? How about an outpatient facility? I'm sure your answer is no.

Try this one on for size . . . I hear Iraq is floating on an ocean of oil . . . yet American taxpayers are paying $2+ per gallon to ship gasoline into the country.:disgust:

I guarantee you the facility Rush utilized for detox has NEVER seen the typical drug abuser seeking treatment. If AA/NA/Jesus were enough to get everybody to stop abusing their bodies then we wouldn't be having this argument . . . although there is strong evidence that AA and NA improve outcomes.

The typical violence mitigation group is called the police. They incarcerate if you file charges. Unfortunately, many of the assaults are domestic which means by definition people are disinclined to file charges . . . hence the abuse continues. Of course a variety of psychiatric disorders are often seen in violent offenders (depression, anxiety, PTSD . . . not nearly as much psychosis as most people expect) . . . but the general abandonment of mental health support . . . not to mention lack of parity for private health insurers . . . means much of it goes untreated.

As for the dietary information available at the library . . . uh yeah . . . that's useful.

 

[tnitsuj]

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

busted up, cut up or shot through little or no fault of their own.

whoa there partner...i treat these "trauma" patients regularly, and the VAST majority are drunk, involved with drug deals gone bad, beating the girlfriend/getting knifed by the girlfriend, your basic low-lifes.

i've got news for you...your odds of ending up in a emergency room for "trauma" is pretty darn miniscule if you are a "regular" citizen that isn't getting smashed and then going out for a car ride, or involved in crime or criminal behavior. if your someone who leads a more "sporting" life, your odds of getting knifed, shot, beaten up, or hurt in a car accident go way up.

p.s. every single person who i've operated on that was stabbed "claimed" they didn't know who did it or why....
it always turned out to be someone they knew, and had an altercation with....

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
I won't bother with heartsurgeon dribble . . . out of sight out of mind.

Have you ever tried to place an ER patient into a residential treatment facility? Have you ever tried to place an inpatient dual diagnosis (substance + psychiatric illness) into a residential treatment facility? How about an outpatient facility? I'm sure your answer is no.

heartsurgeon can be a bit shortsighted yes. Actually, you are wrong about the inpatient dual diagnosis placement, but I'd rather take that up with you via PM.

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Well even back in my med school days at two major trauma centers . . . the vast majority of cases were MVC (they don't call them accidents anymore). Although a significant minority involve alcohol it's inaccurate to say people do it to themselves b/c when the drunk in F-350 SuperDuty hits a family of 5 and their Honda Odyssey . . . you've got 6 patients . . . 5 of which are stone sober. It is quite true that your odds of trauma increase with risky behaviors but not buckling your seat belts likely produces an order of magnitude more fatalities and injuries than accidents precipitated by non-alcoholic substance use. Yet going unbuckled is a minor infraction.

Thankfully I saw few GSWs (gun shot wound) . . . although one kid did take 5 and lived to tell the tale . . . and true to form . . . he didn't know who shot him.

I do finally agree with heartsurgeon . . . we should make smoking, drinking, and shooting people extremely expensive . . . not illegal . . . well let's keep the shooting illegal.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Well even back in my med school days at two major trauma centers . . . the vast majority of cases were MVC (they don't call them accidents anymore). Although a significant minority involve alcohol it's inaccurate to say people do it to themselves b/c when the drunk in F-350 SuperDuty hits a family of 5 and their Honda Odyssey . . . you've got 6 patients . . . 5 of which are stone sober. It is quite true that your odds of trauma increase with risky behaviors but not buckling your seat belts likely produces an order of magnitude more fatalities and injuries than accidents precipitated by non-alcoholic substance use. Yet going unbuckled is a minor infraction.

Thankfully I saw few GSWs (gun shot wound) . . . although one kid did take 5 and lived to tell the tale . . . and true to form . . . he didn't know who shot him.

I do finally agree with heartsurgeon . . . we should make smoking, drinking, and shooting people extremely expensive . . . not illegal . . . well let's keep the shooting illegal.

They never know "who" shot them. Last time I was at the ER(my friend received a nice concussion playing flag football) we saw a GSW patient being interviewed in the room to the side of us. The ER nurse came out pretty pissed because it was another case of a phantom gunman even though the cops said they thought a "friend" shot him.

 

[Gaard]

Why would the nurse care?

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Gaard
Why would the nurse care?

Because they might have less GSW victims if people told the cops who was doing the shooting? I mean... most "friends" that shoot people are just acquaintances from doing drug deals. Then again most people don't like continually helping liars when they continue to go out and get shot and take up resources from the innocent trauma victims out there. Honestly, I don't know the exact reason why she was pissed. She was talking to the guy at the desk because we were out in the hallway because it was so crowded.

 

[chowderhead]

what I find fascinating is that they price blood at $47.98 a pint.
I think that there is a two-tiered system within hospitals such as the ones mentioned in the article. One that is dedicated to trauma and EMERGENCIES and one that serves as the primary care system for those that are indigent and cannot pay elsewhere. The two can intersect i.e. uninsured person treated for trauma. It is wrong that the poor people can only use ERs and Hospitals as their primary care facilities. It is not cost-effective and it clogs up the resources that can be better used for treating actual emergencies. The system cannot survive like this for much longer. ALSO as a minirant I think the media is to blame for hyping medical stories like this year's flu or last year's SARs. People die all the time from the flu but to hype this non-story creates unneeded hysteria i.e. run on the flu vaccine or people clogging the ERs with colds, coughs and running noses.

We need more effective funding for the uninsured and underinsured with a focus on clinics and preventive care.
However, I think *hope* the hospitals are better at triaging people and diverting non-emergencies away from taking up resources.

 

[heartsurgeon]

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

these people already get care.

while i generally against taxes against income, i have no problem with social engineering done via consumption taxes. lets jack up the cigarrette tax and the booze tax.
don't give me any crap about the "regular joe" getting taxed to much...tax the crap out of tobacco products and booze, revenue goes to state medicaid fund. thats my answer.

cap malpractice payments, make them payable out over the lifetime of the "aggrieved", make the trial lawyers contribute to the state malpractice payment pools everytime they loose a case, or file one that they later drop or withdraw (to cover the cost of frivilous suits)

make it illegal for hospitals to offer insurance products (conflict of interest)
make it illegal for doctors to offer insurance productions (HMO's) (conflict of interest)
make managed care "illegal" (these "companies" just act as middle men and skim off money from the system. when was the last time you actually paid less for health insurance?, the hospitals and myself are getting paid way less than we were 10 years ago, but insurance rates are up. who's getting the difference?

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

these people already get care.

while i generally against taxes against income, i have no problem with social engineering done via consumption taxes. lets jack up the cigarrette tax and the booze tax.
don't give me any crap about the "regular joe" getting taxed to much...tax the crap out of tobacco products and booze, revenue goes to state medicaid fund. thats my answer.

cap malpractice payments, make them payable out over the lifetime of the "aggrieved", make the trial lawyers contribute to the state malpractice payment pools everytime they loose a case, or file one that they later drop or withdraw (to cover the cost of frivilous suits)

make it illegal for hospitals to offer insurance products (conflict of interest)
make it illegal for doctors to offer insurance productions (HMO's) (conflict of interest)
make managed care "illegal" (these "companies" just act as middle men and skim off money from the system. when was the last time you actually paid less for health insurance?, the hospitals and myself are getting paid way less than we were 10 years ago, but insurance rates are up. who's getting the difference?

Good Post HS, too bad only the Robber Barons are in control and power and we'll never see reform like this

 

[YellowRose]

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

these people already get care.

while i generally against taxes against income, i have no problem with social engineering done via consumption taxes. lets jack up the cigarrette tax and the booze tax.
don't give me any crap about the "regular joe" getting taxed to much...tax the crap out of tobacco products and booze, revenue goes to state medicaid fund. thats my answer.

cap malpractice payments, make them payable out over the lifetime of the "aggrieved", make the trial lawyers contribute to the state malpractice payment pools everytime they loose a case, or file one that they later drop or withdraw (to cover the cost of frivilous suits)

And while your at it. Tax those making more than $100,000.00 at twice the rate as those under $100,000.00, And of course as the income goes up so does the taxrate. No deductions allowed.

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

If you want to have kids you must show proof of income to support said child thru college otherwise no marriage.

To have children you must have a lic.

Consumption taxes of 100% of vehicle price on vehicles costing more than $25,000, on all boats other than a john boat, on homes larger than 1500 sq feet the tax will be $10.00 a sq foot over 1500sq feet. This also will include a $25 per sq foot tax on any lot larger than 5000 sq feet. The taxes on the home and lot size will be yearly taxes. No deductions here either.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: YellowRose

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

these people already get care.

while i generally against taxes against income, i have no problem with social engineering done via consumption taxes. lets jack up the cigarrette tax and the booze tax.
don't give me any crap about the "regular joe" getting taxed to much...tax the crap out of tobacco products and booze, revenue goes to state medicaid fund. thats my answer.

cap malpractice payments, make them payable out over the lifetime of the "aggrieved", make the trial lawyers contribute to the state malpractice payment pools everytime they loose a case, or file one that they later drop or withdraw (to cover the cost of frivilous suits)

And while your at it. Tax those making more than $100,000.00 at twice the rate as those under $100,000.00, And of course as the income goes up so does the taxrate. No deductions allowed.

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

If you want to have kids you must show proof of income to support said child thru college otherwise no marriage.

To have children you must have a lic.

Consumption taxes of 100% of vehicle price on vehicles costing more than $25,000, on all boats other than a john boat, on homes larger than 1500 sq feet the tax will be $10.00 a sq foot over 1500sq feet. This also will include a $25 per sq foot tax on any lot larger than 5000 sq feet. The taxes on the home and lot size will be yearly taxes. No deductions here either.

Sounds like a recipe for an economic diaster.

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: YellowRose

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

these people already get care.

while i generally against taxes against income, i have no problem with social engineering done via consumption taxes. lets jack up the cigarrette tax and the booze tax.
don't give me any crap about the "regular joe" getting taxed to much...tax the crap out of tobacco products and booze, revenue goes to state medicaid fund. thats my answer.

cap malpractice payments, make them payable out over the lifetime of the "aggrieved", make the trial lawyers contribute to the state malpractice payment pools everytime they loose a case, or file one that they later drop or withdraw (to cover the cost of frivilous suits)

And while your at it. Tax those making more than $100,000.00 at twice the rate as those under $100,000.00, And of course as the income goes up so does the taxrate. No deductions allowed.

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

If you want to have kids you must show proof of income to support said child thru college otherwise no marriage.

To have children you must have a lic.

Consumption taxes of 100% of vehicle price on vehicles costing more than $25,000, on all boats other than a john boat, on homes larger than 1500 sq feet the tax will be $10.00 a sq foot over 1500sq feet. This also will include a $25 per sq foot tax on any lot larger than 5000 sq feet. The taxes on the home and lot size will be yearly taxes. No deductions here either.

You've gotta be joking, right? I think you're too communist for even the soviets...

 

[KenGr]

Originally posted by: YellowRose

And while your at it. Tax those making more than $100,000.00 at twice the rate as those under $100,000.00, And of course as the income goes up so does the taxrate. No deductions allowed.

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

If you want to have kids you must show proof of income to support said child thru college otherwise no marriage.

To have children you must have a lic.

Consumption taxes of 100% of vehicle price on vehicles costing more than $25,000, on all boats other than a john boat, on homes larger than 1500 sq feet the tax will be $10.00 a sq foot over 1500sq feet. This also will include a $25 per sq foot tax on any lot larger than 5000 sq feet. The taxes on the home and lot size will be yearly taxes. No deductions here either.

Interesting formula there. A quick calc shows my acre of sand and oak trees is gonna cost me over a million dollars a year. I've got a news flash for you, the first years check is gonna bounce.

 

[maluckey]

Here's a frightening fact. Virtually all of the millions of illegal aliens in this country are indigent. Millions of children born to illegals are born to U.S. hospitals without recompense. Theses new citizens then reap full benefits from the system to include welfare, WIC, food stamps, Medicaid, medicare, etc. They ARE U.S. Citizens, and SHOULD be recieving theses benefits, but the parents were not supposed to be here at all, let alone burdening the already overburdened medical and social progarms.

A possible way to eliminate at least this part would be to eliminate "Jus Solis" for citizenship. and amend so that only children born to legal residents of the United States and the state in which they live may be deemed U.S. Citizens. It has been presented to Congress a few times over the years, but special interest groups and partisan politics always prevent it from going anywhere. It would remove one more reason to come to the United States, the free money for the baby.

The many years that I worked the Southern Border made me really appreciate our system. ANYONE that was sick could use the public ER. I saw thousands of illegals recieving care, and illegal Mexican mothers giving birth in a glorious hospital built by the hard working U.S. taxpayers. Sure, we arrested them when we could, but the flow never stopped. It was like putting up your hands to stop the rain. As long as the money was there, they would come. The State of Texas cooperated to it's full extent in providing the names of the illegal mothers recieving benefits, but even then, we could only handle so many per day. We would prosecute the gross offenders, and let the majority by to catch another day when the work load was lighter (it never was).

There is a limit to the amount of indigents any nation can support in it's hospitals, and social programs before everyone has to suffer. I only hope that we don't have to find the limit.

 

[LadyJessica]

And while your at it. Tax those making more than $100,000.00 at twice the rate as those under $100,000.00, And of course as the income goes up so does the taxrate. No deductions allowed.

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

If you want to have kids you must show proof of income to support said child thru college otherwise no marriage.

To have children you must have a lic.

Consumption taxes of 100% of vehicle price on vehicles costing more than $25,000, on all boats other than a john boat, on homes larger than 1500 sq feet the tax will be $10.00 a sq foot over 1500sq feet. This also will include a $25 per sq foot tax on any lot larger than 5000 sq feet. The taxes on the home and lot size will be yearly taxes. No deductions here either.

That's kind of funny in a not-so-funny kind of way. In fact, it's downright stupid. People like smoking and drinking and the consequences of long-term use is very high socially and economically. I'd say smoking and drinking cause most of the country's health problems. I agree with heartsurgeon that taxing such products and funneling them into healthcare makes perfect sense. Another problem with the healthcare system as it is is that we are obligated to treat patients who don't care enough to follow through with their treatment! I've seen countless patients, the "frequent flyers", who come into the hospital for an acute process, we treat them, educate them on prevention, and they come back the next week for the same thing. Obvious such people care enough that they come to the ER, but apparently they don't care enough to stick with the treatment regimen. I had one patient who was a diabetic with a knee ulcer that was MRSA positive. He didn't have enough money to pay for his Bactrim (this is a CHEAP drug on the order of pennies per pill), but was smoking pot to relieve the pain.

 

[HombrePequeno]

Originally posted by: YellowRose

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

So being a professional in the field what do you suggest we do about those indigents who come in to a trauma center with no hope of paying for the very expensive care they will need?

these people already get care.

while i generally against taxes against income, i have no problem with social engineering done via consumption taxes. lets jack up the cigarrette tax and the booze tax.
don't give me any crap about the "regular joe" getting taxed to much...tax the crap out of tobacco products and booze, revenue goes to state medicaid fund. thats my answer.

cap malpractice payments, make them payable out over the lifetime of the "aggrieved", make the trial lawyers contribute to the state malpractice payment pools everytime they loose a case, or file one that they later drop or withdraw (to cover the cost of frivilous suits)

And while your at it. Tax those making more than $100,000.00 at twice the rate as those under $100,000.00, And of course as the income goes up so does the taxrate. No deductions allowed.

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

If you want to have kids you must show proof of income to support said child thru college otherwise no marriage.

To have children you must have a lic.

Consumption taxes of 100% of vehicle price on vehicles costing more than $25,000, on all boats other than a john boat, on homes larger than 1500 sq feet the tax will be $10.00 a sq foot over 1500sq feet. This also will include a $25 per sq foot tax on any lot larger than 5000 sq feet. The taxes on the home and lot size will be yearly taxes. No deductions here either.

There might be a little widespread starvation in your little commie fantasy world. It's kind of hard to make any money farming on a 5000 sq. foot plot.

But then you're kidding...I hope.

 

[Bitdog]

Become a doctor and get rich,
kinda changes health care from a service that's suspose to help, to something that doesn't.
$20 for a band-aid, doesn't help more than it harms.

I went to the hospital with a seperated shoulder that was cramped,
they told me I that I was lying and there was nothing wrong with me.
The police were called and they drug me out of the hospital by my seperated shoulder.
The hospital sent me a bill for their service.
A year of painfull disability went by, and on a vacation out of town,
I saw a private doctor, he diagnosed the problem and the shot of cortizone cured the problem for ever.
Total cost, $40.

I went to a hospital because a drill bit had broken and stuck a piece of metal in the center of my right eye,
ruining my vision & depth perception.
A doctor couldn't get the eye machine to work, so he came at me with an ear viewer and a toung depressor
to remove it. I refused service and he almost beat me up before I could get out of there.
I drove half way across town to a private doctor and he removed the object for $50 and cured the problem
with no vision loss.

I had an infected jaw and went to the hospital. When I asked them how much a shot of antibiotic was they started
treating me as though I was the enemy. After about an hour of insisting on price disclosure,
a doctor came out and barked that it was $175 for a shot, and walked away.
I found a dentist that fixed the problem and the tooth for $100.

I had a large wood sliver that scured the mussle in my right hand that closed my thumb leaving me cripled.
I went to the hospital & they hacked up my hand, billed me, & forced me to leave with the sliver in my hand.
A private doctor removed the sliver for $120.

My dad went to the hospital, and his apendix burst at midnight, they told him that the doctor would be in
n the morning to look at him. He would have been dead by then. It took an act of god to get him medical help in the hospital.

And their complaining that they arn't making enough money.
We need a new system.
My vote is support the free clinics.
A little free preventive medicine goes a long way.

 

[heartsurgeon]

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

ok, but only if:

you are a lawyer and you lose your malpractice case, then your license is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your license for LIFE.
you are a person who lodges a malpractice complaint against your doctor and you lose your case. you lose all health insurance for one year. Second time, you lose all health insurance/benefits for life.

the ENTIRE problem with medical malpractice today is that there is absolutely no downside to filing a lawsuit against a doctor..and all it costs is the price of a postage stamp and an a form letter. you don't have to be right, you don't have to state what you believe the "malpractice" to have been just that you believe "malpractice" has been committed, you suffer no consequences if you are even blatantly wrong! However, malpractice insurance is like car insurance...once your sued, your rates go up whether or not you did ANYTHING wrong. In many states, you become UNINSURABLE once a siongle malpractice case has been filed ahgainst you (outcome doesn't matter!), in several states, two malpractice cases filed (again, OUTCOME OF CASE DOESN't MATTER - you can be completely exonerated, paerson filing the lawsuit can be a complete nutcase) and you can't practice medicine anymore because you can't get insurance, and if you can't get insurance, you lose your medical license.

wake up people, your buddies the trial lawyers (by the way that's how your buddy john edwards made his money, suing doctors) are crushing your access to doctors, and raising your health insurance costs..they are leaches and they are sucking your blood.

 

[Jhhnn]

What you're describing, Heartsurgeon, is a failure of some states to properly regulate the insurance industry. They have their own lawyers and lobbyists, along with a variety of ways to help politicians see it their way, all of them green.. Insurance is one of the biggest corporate/political rackets in America.

Between malpractice insurance issues and healthcare insurance costs and lack of coverage on both sides, the industry's greed almost demands federal intervention. Not by this Congress and Administration, please, let's wait- otherwise we'll just get insurance company pork at taxpayer expense- senior drug coverage, anybody?

 

[jhu]

My dad went to the hospital, and his apendix burst at midnight, they told him that the doctor would be in
n the morning to look at him. He would have been dead by then. It took an act of god to get him medical help in the hospital.

And their complaining that they arn't making enough money.
We need a new system.
My vote is support the free clinics.
A little free preventive medicine goes a long way.

i find that hard to believe since a burst appendix is a medical emergency. but if it's true, why are you going back to the same hospital?
as for preventive medicine being the way to go, the medical community has been saying this for as long as it's been in existence! unfortunately no one really listens. people want their smokes and alcohol and damn the future consequences. what happens 20 years from now doesn't affect me now.

 

[Ultima]

Originally posted by: heartsurgeon

If you are a doctor and you lose your malpratice case then your lic is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your lic for LIFE.

ok, but only if:

you are a lawyer and you lose your malpractice case, then your license is suspended for 1 year. If it happens again you lose your license for LIFE.
you are a person who lodges a malpractice complaint against your doctor and you lose your case. you lose all health insurance for one year. Second time, you lose all health insurance/benefits for life.

the ENTIRE problem with medical malpractice today is that there is absolutely no downside to filing a lawsuit against a doctor..and all it costs is the price of a postage stamp and an a form letter. you don't have to be right, you don't have to state what you believe the "malpractice" to have been just that you believe "malpractice" has been committed, you suffer no consequences if you are even blatantly wrong! However, malpractice insurance is like car insurance...once your sued, your rates go up whether or not you did ANYTHING wrong. In many states, you become UNINSURABLE once a siongle malpractice case has been filed ahgainst you (outcome doesn't matter!), in several states, two malpractice cases filed (again, OUTCOME OF CASE DOESN't MATTER - you can be completely exonerated, paerson filing the lawsuit can be a complete nutcase) and you can't practice medicine anymore because you can't get insurance, and if you can't get insurance, you lose your medical license.

wake up people, your buddies the trial lawyers (by the way that's how your buddy john edwards made his money, suing doctors) are crushing your access to doctors, and raising your health insurance costs..they are leaches and they are sucking your blood.

If I was the doctor I would sue the insurance companies for refusing to insure me.
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