Doctors shrug

The Washington Times ^ | January 12, 2003 | Edward Hudgins

[xsysmgr]

In her 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged," Ayn Rand imagined a monstrous world in which the laws and the political regime, rather than protecting productive individuals, actually make it easy and legal for the rapacious and the envious to steal from them. Not surprisingly, many producers drop out of this society. In response, politicians warn the remaining producers not to leave their jobs, claiming it is their duty to serve society.

[STD]

Let's allow lots of goofy foreigners into the USA to practce. They are all too happy to pay whatever to live here. Sarcasm!

DrMike

[.30Carbine]

Randian bump.

[.30Carbine]

Tort reform bump.

[marktwain]

Reality mimicing art bump.

[FreedomPoster]

>>Let's allow lots of goofy foreigners into the USA to practce.

No different than the H1B program and the IT business.

[Yaelle]

Doctors need more political clout. They are completely being abused. I got a very sad letter one day telling me why my kids' pediatrician, a really great man and doctor, was retiring early. If anyone deserves to earn more than the average folk, it's a good doctor.

I see the doctors as juicy aphid cows, and the lawyers as the vicious ants that milk them dry daily.

[STD]

Bingo!

[fporretto]

Thomas Sowell has noted, in The Vision Of The Anointed, that not even a firm resolve to remain in business against a rising tide of disincentives can change the situation for the better. It doesn't matter if a doctor is sincerely convinced of the "right to health care" and has dedicated himself to providing it. The laws of economics will operate on him just as fiercely as if he were a heartless money-uber-alles vulture. Natural laws are indifferent to anyone's opinions.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason:
http://www.palaceofreason.com

[Glenn]

Naturally, they are major donors to the Democratic Party, which specializes in loot-the-rich rhetoric and which supports the laws that make possible such predation.

There's the crux of it.

Personally, I'd like doctors to be able to ask whether a patient has ever sued for malpractice and have the right to reject them if they have. Patient risk ought to be something they can legally evaluate.

[gunnedah]

"The Rule Of Law" has been circumvented and Lawyers are using it to destroy a once Moral and Powerful Society called America.
The so called sustem of "JUST-US" in America only protects the Criminal and rewards him or her and the so called Legal System of Lawyers.
The people that lose in this system are the innocent victims and since dead people are not supposed to vote, unless they are Demoncrats, the system could care less.
America is trying to dictate to the rest of the world and our so called system of justice is as bad as any third world country with its pomp and circumstance.
Those with the power and control in America today use the system to keep honest people in line and turn the criminal element loose to devour those who cannot protect themself.
Once they take our weapons away the Clintons and the lawyers will have total control of America.
If our system worked and those in power cared do you think we would be in this dilemma with illegal aliens? America is being sold out and destroyed by her so called leaders in both parties.They are more interested in Partisan Politics than they are America and her well being!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Dozens of top-flight surgeons in West Virginia have gone on strike, refusing to work in hospitals because of insurance costs. In Pennsylvania, a wider strike is still threatened. Last year in Las Vegas, dozens of trauma surgeons resigned from hospitals over insurance costs. Atlas is shrugging — and the response from politicians has been as appalling as Ayn Rand predicted.

HA! I love it! Just hope I can find me some gold so I can get medical care in Galt's Gulch!

[OldPossum]

Why does this name "John Edwards" come to mind?

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I don't normally support unconstitutional legislation, but in this case, the medical system appears to be getting hammered, putting countless Americans at risk, so I will support national tort reform. I suppose it could fall under regulation of domestic commerce, but that might be a thin argument...

Tort reform = pro-life and pro-health!

[johniegrad]

"Let's allow lots of goofy foreigners into the USA to practice"

[friendly]

Beautiful article, one of the best I have seen on this critical issue. Thanks for the post. I have thought about this issue in depth.

As Pennsylvania teeters on the brink of medical delivery collapse, there are two worse states: West Virginia (#49) and Mississippi (#50) both are the poorest, most corrupt, and most 3rd World of all 50 states. Yet these two backwaters have many of the richest lawyers in America. Mississippi judges have been shown to get huge "loans" and oceanfront condos from the crooked trial lawyers. The incredibly wealthy attorney industry (read democrat party) basically runs both impoverished states as their medieval fiefdoms. (see documenting linked newspaper articles at www.Overlawyered.com )

The trauma care, emergency surgical, and obstetrical physicians in all 3 states (plus Clark County, Nevada---Las Vegas) are being driven out of business due to massive malpractice premiums they cannot afford. There is no meaningful trauma care in most areas of these areas. The obstetricians in particular have been run out of town by the lawyer industry, becoming economic refugees to other states less benighted than the pathetic, corrupt West Virginia and Mississippi backwaters. Healthcare in WV and 'Ol Miss (already the worst of all 50 states) is detreriorating rapidly due to the multi-millionire greed of the shysters.

The dirty little secret of medical liability insurance is that only 30% of the premiums go to (allegedly) injured plaintiffs. The trial lawyers get their 30-40% of course. But the costs of the DEFENSE attorneys is equal to the payouts to the plaintiffs attorneys!!

God forbid the pathetic excuses for governors in Pennsylvania, WV, and Mississippi would enact authentic tort reform to lower the income of their lawyer buddies.

The democrats will enrich themselves (or at least their trial lawyer constituency), destroy the trauma and obstetrical system, and have the predictable gall to demand a federal takeover and universal health system to "correct" the non-functional, lawyer-ravaged system. I am absoluely convinced this will be lawyer-politician Hillary's agenda and main selling point when the time comes.

I think that the trial lawyers are only too happy to be a part of the democrat effort to destroy the health care system, so that the democrats will then trot themselves out of the shadows to claim to be saviors!. I strongly believe that national health care will be the cornerstone to a Hillary Clinton campaign!!

One maddening thing (for the docs) about the med malpractice industry is that the suits and payouts generally bear no relationship to competence. Thus doctors who agree see the most high risk (sickest) patients are the most likely to be sued. Very sick patients are more likely to have adverse outcomes. Another example is the gold mine (for crooked lawyers) who make mega-bucks off of neurosurgeons (brain injury almost always has some residual brain damage, by definition) and obstetricans (congenital blameless birth defects equals lawyer yachts and French Riviera condos).

My recommendations for this problem and for the unregulated lawyer plague that damages all of our lives in so many ways? The world would be a better place with:

1) Loser Pays.

2) Massive tort reform on a unprecedented level

3) Widespread empowerment of paralegals for independent practice

4) An end to punitive damages.

5) An end to bogus class action suits.

6) Outlawing contingency fees (This is considered grossly unethical and is completely illegal in almost all other democracies).

7) Lawyers forbidden from running from office. They are agents of the judiciary. Practicing attorneys violate The Separation of Powers when they enrich their lawyer industry at public suffering

8) Most important: a total disempowerment of the bar associations. Lawyer discipline by true consumer control agencies. Regulated by an open governmental process, with all complaints against lawyers open for public inspection. Like any other industry.

[ofMagog]

My recently deceased wife and I retired early several years ago, choosing to enjoy life rather than feed the slime. One of our daughters and her husband, both MDs, also retired early.

[Leisler]

By and large, individually and as a group, physicians have poor communication skills. Furtermore, as befiting their professional manner, they have tried to work through the "system". They need to get organized and radicallized. Not that the fuddy duddies at the AMA would ever get off their leather couches. Anyways, it is NOT the physicians that pay, it is us. Just like taxes on corporations the physicians are just collecting money to had over to support the scum lawyers who then give their cut to the Democrat party, much like the finances of any crime orgaization.

Naturally the insurance, the lawyers and the Democrats will all be against effective reform, ie no more money. Watch for them to bring out some kindly, tweed coated saint harted physician to support the present mess.

[Glenn]

8) Most important: a total disempowerment of the bar associations. Lawyer discipline by true consumer control agencies. Regulated by an open governmental process, with all complaints against lawyers open for public inspection. Like any other industry.

You lost me on this one. You think the government, which has blown every other critical task, can handle one so fraught with lawsuit-land mines?

[Marauder]

America is being sold out and destroyed by her so called leaders in both parties.

"Cut to the chase and go to the heart of the matter" Bump.

We get the government we deserve, because we have a voting population that remains largely and blissfully ignorant of what the socialists are doing to this country.