Bush calls for Federal Legislation for Medical-Malpractice Litigation Reform

National Underwriter ^ | April 21, 2005

[JBW]

The President, whose efforts to change the tort system have been buoyed by successful passage of a class action reform bill, said that becoming a part of the federal government when he was elected made him a convert to the notion of a national medical liability reform law.

"When I first got to Washington, I thought that medical liability reform would best be handled at the state level until I realized what the cost was of the defensive practice of medicine, the cost of settling lawsuits, and the rising costs of premiums do to the federal budget," he said.

"If you think about cost to the federal budget, and the costs of frivolous lawsuits to the federal budget, you'll begin to recognize why I think it is now a national problem. We pay for Medicare, we pay for Medicaid, we pay for veterans' health benefits. All of those costs are affected by junk lawsuits.

[2banana]

THE best thing Bush can do to reign in or lower medical expenses for everyone. I hope the Republicans have a spine, the trial lawyers will stop at nothing to keep the gravy train alive...

[Piquaboy]

How would poor Little Johnny Edwards survive if someone derails his gravy train?

[AZFolks]

I have heard attorney's say that medical malpractice is an insignificant cost. They are just calculating the direct costs. I am in my 37th year of being a doc so I think I know a little bit about it. When a physician sees a patient with a symptom (any symptom) no matter how trivial, it could mean one of a thousand things. Just check any lay person's publication on how to diagnose yourself! Well what would you rather have going into court; a perfect history and physical with a well thought out explanation of why the particular diagnosis was made or a million tests, x rays, scans etc.? There is no contest here. My wife had a lipoma on her leg. No question about it. She saw her doc as it was bothering her. A $750 MRI was followed by a trip to a surgeon and a pathologist read it as, guess what - a lipoma! Over $1000 for a silly lipoma!