Fair and balanced

[WildBill]

Since I usually end up railing against the Republicans, here is a time I will go the other way...

This is about John Edwards. He talks about health care for everyone all the time. But is it just me or does it bother anyone else that this guy spent his career suing health care and doctors in ways that have now made malpractice insurance next to impossible to get? I mean health care costs have gone up, but much of the above inflation raise has actually been due to increased premiums. Some doctors can't afford it at all and have to risk their careers and their financial standing to be doctors. Edwards and his cronies for the trial lawyers seeking outrageous penalties in malpractice suits to "punish" have in many ways punished us all, at least it would appear to me. Does anyone else see it this way?

 

[KMAN]

wildbill - I don't know who is to blame but one thing I can tell you is that my health care cost at work has gone up more than my raise this year. So my money is actually worth less than it was last year.

KMAN

 

[FloydGondolli]

Good point.

Bush has been trying for two years to get tort reform through Congress that includes a hard cap on medical malpractice claims but guess what? The Democrats in the Senate, at the behest of their trial lawyer special interest buddies, have blocked every attempt at passing such legislation.

 

[KMAN]

One thing I DO hate is frivolous lawsuits.... I mean come on give me a break that a lady sues mcdonalds for burning herself with hot coffee!!! Stuff like that really pisses me off.

KMAN

 

[D2bets]

Tort reform has its place but both sides are too far apart and want too much. Companies DO still need to be held accountable for their abuses and individuals do need to be compensated for their losses. Let's still not forget that it is juries -- you and I -- that are handing out these awards. They are not created from thin air. If people want tort reform then stop giving out unreasonable awards and rewarding "frivilous" lawsuits.

We also need pharmaceutical reform. We need to promote true competition and stop letting these companies price gouge.

 

[sphincter]

the funny thing about the jury system is that your average joe has no idea what`s fair compensation in a malpractice or accident case.....they have no guidelines....so how would they know what is appropriate....i understand that judges have some control over the awards...

i sat on a personal injury jury and nobody on the jury had a clue as to what would be appropriate....lawyers love this stuff...

but,it points out how stupid some parts of the legal system are and that they do need reform....

like the woman that sued for sexual harrassment....the case drug on for over 6 years......she got $375,000....the attorney asked for and got 1.15 million from the judge/crony.....

then the woman was hit with a $475,000 tax liability for her and the attorney`s awards....

multiply this kind of legalized theivery exponentially every day all ac**** the country and enron looks like a blip on the radar screen over the long haul......


???????.....the fox is in the henhouse...

 

[WildBill]

Bush's so called drug "benefit" killed off any chance of competition for a long while. When is he or some responsible politician going to address the malpractice issue? They like to talk about tort reform, but screw that call it what it is. I think a majority of people, while they wish doctors would be held accountable, abhor these ridiculous sums. I mean people that get lung cancer from smoking and getting millions and millions of dollars for their family, what kind of crap is that??? You are dying today of lung cancer, we have all known for 25 years that smoking causes it, you didn't quit. So now you go and blame the cigarette companies cause they got you addicted 40 years ago? Come on, that is ridiculous! If you know it now and you refuse to quit for whatever reason, I say you have now become 100% accountable and your family shouldn't become millionaires because you have no self-control. I hate smoking and I didn't mind the cigarette makers facing some pain, but people shouldn't be hitting the jackpot for their inability to quit smoking long after everyone has known of its dangers.

 

[xpanda]

Many people talk about Medicare as being the root cause of health care cost increases, by artificially inflating demand (I think the logic is that when it's free, people will suddenly want to go to the doctor more often?) At any rate, doctors here routinely cite fear of malpractice (malpractice cases are rare here, and normally do not lead to the doctor being sued) as the reason for demand in the US skyrocketing -- your doctors are so afraid of being sued that they run way more tests than are normally deemed necessary in order to cover their asses should anything go awry. This in turn means that hospitals spend more capital on testing equipment and the like.

What is with the American obsession to sue?

 

[WildBill]

That is part of it. The biggest problem beyond malpractice is overmedication. People end their lives on 8 different pills a day. Some live a good 10 years longer, but unfortunately most don't get any real appreciable extra life as they die of other causes. The thing is that people in their quest to live forever just create more and more things for drug oompanies to make. My grandmother can barely stay awake more than 3 hours at a time and can't ride in a car for more than half an hour. She has been in a bad state for years, but stays alive thanks to a routine of 9 drugs a day. I mean I can't say I wished she had died, but lets face it 30 years ago she would have died because it was pointed out to me that 7 of the drugs treat something that was basically not treated 10-15 years ago. The other two drugs are essentially drugs that help reduce the side effects. Not the greatest way to live, but we will be a world full of these types of people in the not too distant future and we as a worldwide society in at least the rich nations will have to decide at what point do we stop. I mean people might eventually live to 110 with the help of drugs, but is that a good idea if the last 20 years are bedridden and if it bankrupts many nations?

 

[Jointpleasure]

If you want to live beyond your natural lifespan, how could anyone watch regular network TV without being on at least eight different drugs a day?

Seriously - If you wanted to find legitimate malpractice cases you would need twenty times as many malpractice lawyers as there are doctors to keep up with the case load.
They are all over the place ranging from blantant errors to errors that are acceptable in medicine. Oh well, get a higher deductible on your disease insurance and with the money you save - join a gym. That will be your best health insurance.

 

[FloydGondolli]

Bill,

"I mean people might eventually live to 110 with the help of drugs, but is that a good idea if the last 20 years are bedridden and if it bankrupts many nations?"

Best to answer that question when YOU are the person facing the choice of certain death or taking 10 pills a day. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[Oceans11]

Its not a very good reason to disallow universal healthcare, its just a minor point in the scheme of things.

 

[FloydGondolli]

eek, does the phrase "non sequitur" mean anything to you?

[This message was edited by Floyd Gondolli on February 06, 2004 at 09:21 PM.]

 

[Oceans11]

non

 

[FloydGondolli]

eek, have you been drinking tonight? Your posts are more incoherent than usual.

 

[Oceans11]

You always go off at a tangent...old tactics...
The legal stuff has its own destiny...

There is still no valid reason in this thread that derails universal healthcare in a society that can afford it.
(A society worth fighting and dying for, that is)

-I still don't know what "non sequitur" means btw, unless its the parody cartoon.- talented sharp observational cynicysm.

 

[FloydGondolli]

You really don't know what non sequitur means. Might I suggest you look it up?

 

[Oceans11]

I give you a straw, and you grasp it tight...meanwhile the insignificant matter(in your opinion) of universal healthcare continues to be ignored...

----------------------------------------
This is about John Edwards. He talks about health care for everyone all the time. But is it just me or does it bother anyone else that this guy spent his career suing health care and doctors in ways that have now made malpractice insurance next to impossible to get?
-----------------------------------------

You continually try to move the discussion away from the important bit...old tired tactics...

There is still no valid reason in this thread that derails universal healthcare in a society that can afford it.

As far as politicians being complete and utter wankers is concerned, what's new?
Americans are not stupid, maybe a bit naiive with international stuff, but not for long if they get serious.
John Edwards is a part of a long series of wankers, called politicians.
GWB is an internationally renowned one, the reason he has so many detractors is because he's such a dangerous and homocidal wanker.

Well cover me in beans and call me cynical.