i'm beginning to wonder

[fabsroman]

Originally Posted by Mr. 16 gauge

And all the hulabaloo about health care reform? Where was the republicans answer to Obama's plan? More 'partisan' politics!
....and being in the medical field, why was neither party willing to support tort reform when it comes to such crap as awards for 'pain and suffering" with re: to health care? That would go a long way to decreasing health care costs, but nobody in congress wants to do it because a huge majority of those individuals are lawyers, and they want to protect their shyster friends!

I saw some 'expert' on TV the other day spouting about all the 'unnecessary tests & procedures' that physicians do. He was making it sound like they were being done to pad someone's pocket. Know why these 'unnecessary' tests are done? So that when some whimsical law suit comes down the pike, he or she can show that yes, indeed he did such and such a test and it was negative for whatever bizarre disease said shyster is trying to claim 'pain and suffering' for. We need tort reform NOW!!!

I agree with everything you said. Personally, we need to ask ourselves why the Democrats held a super majority in Congress and held the White House and still hold a majority in both sides of Congress and still hold the White House. It is probably because the Republicans weren't doing such a great job prior to the 2008 election and the economy really went into the crapper right before the election with the stock market plummeting. Of course, after the fact I think they have figured out that the recession started in 2007 and was gaining steam until it hit hard in late 2008.

As far as tort reform is concerned, how about throwing up some stats. I have had this debate on several times on a cycling forum and I believe the net effect of pain & suffering, etc. isn't that big a deal compared to the entire amount of medical costs out there.

As far as your reference to lawyers as shysters, I personally take offense to it since I am an attorney. How about doctors that purchase some fancy new piece of testing machinery that continually test patients on it that probably do not need to be tested, just so they can make sure the investment in the machine gives them a good return on their investment. How about the shyster doctors that recommend surgeries that aren't really need just because they need to pay for their new Ferrari or their kid's college education? How about the shyster doctors that do not want to be held responsible for "pain & suffering" when they perform a heart surgery and leave a tool or gause inside the patient? Do you mean the patient should not be compensated for having to have his chest cracked open again? What if I accidentally shoot you and you have to walk around in severe pain the rest of your life? Should you not be compensated for that? What if I run you over in my F350, crack your spine, and you have to walk around in pain for the rest of your life? Should you not recover for that? If you want to get rid of "pain & suffering" do it for everything. Let ALL the negligent people off the hook. Don't hold the negligent people responsible at all. That is exactly what this nation needs, less responsibility amongst the already irresponsible.

Ultimately, if a doctor does not screw up, then he doesn't have anything to worry about, does he?

Here is one article from the Washington Independent stating that tort reform wouldn't really reduce heallth care costs, even with a cap on pain & suffering, which we already have in place in Maryland.

http://washingtonindependent.com/555...lth-care-costs

Plenty of people are quoted in the article and I am sure I can find a lot more that state medical malpratice lawsuits and defensive medicine aren't a big part of health care costs that are spiralling out of control. It might have to do with people wanting to live forever, and tons of medical expenses being incurred by people in the last year or two of their lives. I think the numberr was something like over 50% of medical costs incurred by most people are incurred in the last year or two of their lives.

Personally, I think health care for everybody that works (including their immediate family), all children under 18, and everybody that is receiving unemployment compensation (including their immediate family) is a good thing. Now, when I say works, I am not talking about 8 hours a week. It has to be 30 hours or more. Enough with the handouts. However, I do believe in providing for people that are down on their luck that have lost their job through no fault of their own.

I think a a lot of our problems boil down to personal responsibility. People rely on the government too much. Also, just as most people live on credit way too much nowadays, these are the same people that we elect to Congress and the White House. So, why should we expect them to be fiscally sound with the government's money when they aren't fisccally sound with their own money.