Reforming the medical system is going to require more than one approach. It is going to have to play to both sides of fence. One side is the patient, allowing coverage to include more people at a more cost effective rate and the other side is for physicians. Its too bad for them because one of biggest topics they want addressed is medical malpractice reform and nobody is talking about doing anything.
Obama, as well as Ted Kennedy and Max Baucus, have not indicated that they are going to tackle capping malpractice payouts this time around. They site that this plays little part in the economics of health care spending and that it takes away patient's rights. According to a January 2006 report prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for the insurers’ group America’s Health Insurance Plans, it showed that 10% of health care spending goes toward medical malpractice. This is in the form of gigantic payouts and unnecessary tests ordered in fear of getting sued. To say that lawsuits aren't a major factor in tests that are ordered would be a total fallacy.
It has also been suggested that medical malpractice is just a drop in the bucket in health care spending, but I argue that 10% of a 2 trillion dollar a year industry costs about 200 billion. Over ten years that is the estimated cost of the entire health care reform being proposed by Kennedy and Baucus. I hope that in the coming weeks someone can tune in Mr. Obama, break him away from his trial lawyer buddies and tell him how important this issue is for entire field of medicine. It will help curb costs and improve health care efficiency around the board.
www.politicsandmedicine.com
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