Posted on 09/08/2003 5:08:26 PM PDT by Cathryn Crawford
On, September 13, Texans will have a chance to go and vote for or against Proposition 12, which limits non-economic damages in medical liability lawsuits to $750,000. The proposition leaves no limits on what a litigant can recieve in lost wages, medical and rehabilitation costs, and other economic damages.
According to the Yes on 12 website, these are some facts about Prop. 12:
1. Proposition 12 is one of 22 proposed Constitutional amendments that Texas voters will be asked to consider in a statewide election on Saturday, September 13th.
2. Proposition 12 would validate the Texas Legislature’s work to rein in excessive non-economic damages in healthcare cases. Passage would save years of legal wrangling over the comprehensive lawsuit reform legislation passed during the recently completed session.
3. Proposition 12 would place limits on hard-to-quantify non-economic damages, which account for more than 65 % of jury verdicts in healthcare liability cases.
4. Proposition 12 does not impact economic damages, which cover medical expenses and lost income.
5. Proposition 12 would help keep medical care affordable and accessible for all Texans by giving doctors, hospitals and nursing homes much-needed insurance rate relief.
6. In Texas and other states without non-economic damage caps, doctors pay higher rates for medical liability insurance, which is passed along to patients in the form of higher medical bills.
7. Skyrocketing medical liability insurance costs also have forced some doctors to close or cut back their practices, reducing available healthcare in many areas of Texas.
8. Proposition 12 will help reverse a trend of decreasing healthcare services. A recent statewide survey of physicians found the current liability climate has caused nearly two-thirds to deny or refer high-risk cases and about half to stop providing certain services to their patients.
9. In other states, non-economic damage caps are proven to keep healthcare costs under control for both healthcare providers and for consumers. In addition, Texas employers – the single largest provider of private health insurance in the state – will also benefit from lower healthcare costs.
10. In a recent poll, 71 percent of Texans surveyed said they would support a cap on non-economic damages, signaling they don’t want to continue to pay more for less accessible health care.
11. Proposition 12 has the broad-based, diverse support of organizations such as the Texas Medical Association, Texas Alliance for Patient Access, National Federation of Independent Business, Texas Hospital Association, Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Texas Civil Justice League, to name just a few.
It is a constitutional amendment, which means it should be carefully considered before your vote is cast, but if you look at the arguments of the opposition to Proposition 12, you will notice that they have a distinct slant towards liberal values. For example,students at my own university have rallied against it, but their main concerns seem to be that it will cause "enviromental damage". However, "...Ray Sullivan, spokesman for Yes! on 12, dismisses the environmental concerns..."Proposition 12 explicitly limits noneconomic damage awards in only medical lawsuits," Sullivan said. "It does render future noneconomic damage caps but makes it much more difficult to pass those environmental or corporate caps, as opposed to the simple majority vote they have right now." "
Proposition 12 will make medical care more affordable, hold down liability insurance costs, and keep Texas doctors in Texas.
For more info about Proposition 12, visit Yes on 12, the Proposition 12 website.
I already did. Voted "yes" on 12, as did my wife, and my two sons are voting tomorrow on their day off.
It is a statistical fact that premiums decline in states which have imposed caps on non-economic damages.
My doctor told me last month that he paid half of his income last year to malpractice insurance companies.
And he's just a friggin' general practitioner!
This will avoid legal challenges.
YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO VOTE "FOR" PROP 12!!
I've got neighbors who never vote on amendments going to the polls because I told them to just go in there and vote "yes" on 12, and ignore the rest.
I know the drill, Cathryn. Saturday I vote in Texas and then hitchhike back to California to vote in the California recall on October 7.
Today, though, I'm in Alabama to vote on that tax issue. Democracy is so cool!! ;-)
Today, though, I'm in Alabama to vote on that tax issue. Democracy is so cool!! ;-)
You might as well. The mojados certainly do.
12/YES
-archy-/-
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