Quote:
Originally Posted by anatess
Now, if we can get medical malpractice reform, the insurance company can probably cover my family for $30 a month!
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I feel I have to speak up for my chosen profession here. Yes, there are some silly suits out there and there are certainly lawyers who milk the system. But by and large, malpractice insurance costs a lot because medical mistakes cost a lot. A doctor who botches a $1500 surgery doesn't owe the patient $1500; he owes $1500 plus the extra $50,000 per year the patient
could have made, for the length of the patient's natural work-life expectancy. One slipped scalpel, and a surgeon can find himself owing a patient (and/or his survivors) well over a million dollars--and that's assuming you don't take into account punitive damages and/or additional compensation for pain and suffering.
Some tweaking may be necessary. But if you eliminate malpractice claims, you're going to have even more people who have no choice but to look to government (read: taxpayer) for their day-to-day maintenance.