Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Silat on July 17, 2004, 11:16:15 AM

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Silat on July 17, 2004, 11:16:15 AM

Be informed my neo con friends..............

http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=133

                   :cool:

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: AKIron on July 17, 2004, 11:31:18 AM

How can anyone deny that malpractice suits and insurance have driven the cost of health care sky high? I know that wasn't the gist of that article but it is true nonetheless. However, seems plain to me that doctors have taken to excessively prescribing  medication over the last few decades. Why exactly is subject to interpretation I suppose.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: capt. apathy on July 17, 2004, 11:42:18 AM

Quote

Originally posted by AKIron
How can anyone deny that malpractice suits and insurance have driven the cost of health care sky high?  

 if you read the link, you'll see how.  they examined the evidence, compared areas where caps were in effect to those where none were in effect and found no real difference.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: AKIron on July 17, 2004, 12:21:17 PM

I did read it. This paper only refutes one report. It's common sense that tells me those billions going out every year to lawyers and insurance companies come from somewhere and my guess is from the cost of healthcare.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: capt. apathy on July 17, 2004, 02:32:31 PM

no doubt a big chunk goes to insurance companies.  I think what the reports prove is that the insurance companies will just soak up any savings and call it profit.

one news story I caught a few months ago had an interesting take on the health-care costs.  it was discussing HMO's and other "managed care" type insurance plans.

one statistic that they tossed around (and that I found very interesting), was that in the mid 70's roughly 60-80% of health-care workers worked directly with the patient.  also that now, with all of the micro-managing by insurance companies, for every DR, nurse, orderly, etc who works directly with the patient, you have another 9 people who never see a patient, and just fill out forms, write reports, and other paper-work/managerial type jobs relating to insurance.  either working for the Dr/patient trying to justify costs, or for the insurance companies looking to deny claims or cut costs.

I see this sort of thing as having a huge impact on costs without any benefit realized by the Dr or patient.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Capt. Pork on July 17, 2004, 02:37:05 PM

I'm all for the caps. This country is litigation-happy, and it needs to stop. Not only that, but there should be serious consequences for attorneys who file frivolous malpractice lawsuits.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Lizking on July 17, 2004, 02:43:30 PM

Apathy, that same thing is happening with our schools.  I don't have the numbers, but they are similar to the caregiver/admin ones.  THAT is the cost that needs to be killed, and socalizing healthcare will only make it worse.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Martlet on July 17, 2004, 02:44:02 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Capt. Pork
I'm all for the caps. This country is litigation-happy, and it needs to stop. Not only that, but there should be serious consequences for attorneys who file frivolous malpractice lawsuits.

The moonbats don't want caps.  Edwards and friends can't make millions chasing ambulances.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: GreenCloud on July 17, 2004, 02:48:39 PM

my dad is a reconstructive surgeon.....

he does all that breast.face lifts lazers stuff...


Oh yaa..Lawyers on malpractice suits are disgusting maggots...

He has been transfering all his things under my moms name and dropping his malpractice insurances....I guess thsi wasy all they can get from him now is $250,000 or somthn like that...He has been paying about 100k a year for insurance....

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Gunslinger on July 17, 2004, 03:07:25 PM

Quote

Originally posted by capt. apathy
no doubt a big chunk goes to insurance companies.  I think what the reports prove is that the insurance companies will just soak up any savings and call it profit.
 

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Since when did an insurance company.....ANY insurance company not pass a cost or a loss onto its customers...

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: capt. apathy on July 17, 2004, 03:29:49 PM

they are very good at passing on costs, not near so quick to pass on savings though.

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Gunslinger on July 17, 2004, 04:13:10 PM

Quote

Originally posted by capt. apathy
they are very good at passing on costs, not near so quick to pass on savings though.

sorry I miss-read your post

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: GreenCloud on July 17, 2004, 05:21:01 PM

i get a check every year from USAA ..for refund on what they didnt spend...they are frikn great Insurance

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Simaril on July 17, 2004, 06:58:00 PM

Malpractice insurers have a 3-5 year time lag between collecting premiums for this year, and conclusion of trials (and payments) attributed to this year. In the 1st four years of the 21st century, the average awards have skyrocketed to the point that the top ten payments for 2003 were ALL higher than the record payment from before 2000. So, the companies have to A) recover unexpected costs already in the bag and B) "charge ahead" to get a kitty big enough that future costs and increases are covered. Many figure there are better ways to make an insurnace living and drop their malpractice lines completely.


Anti -corporation retoric drives the cost up because juries can be convinced that the hospital and dr won't have to pay anything, it'l all come from the insurance co. Major source of problem is pain and suffering, which can't be easily quantified and so can reach for the moon. Even the most conservative pro Dr. group says they want malpractice victims to get full reimbursement for lost income, medical costs, etc. The real sticking points are punitive and pain and sufering  damages.


Trial lawyers' contingencies are based on 1/3 of the AWARD, not even what the patient actually gets. So if somebody's awarded 10million, the lawyer gets 3.3 million even if the patient can't collect part because of bankruptcy, etc.

Dr.'s are a driven bunch, but they burn out. Malpractice crisis will turn into crisi of health care availability, not "patient rights"

Title: Malpractice Insurance
Post by: Holden McGroin on July 17, 2004, 10:09:45 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Gunslinger
Since when did an insurance company.....ANY insurance company not pass a cost or a loss onto its customers...

Change that to any company.  All business needs it's gains to, at the very least, balance losses or they are not in business for very long.  It's called a balance sheet.

That being said, litigation and the fear of litigation causes undue costs in office work, redundant testing, insurance premiums, etc.  All of which do not add to the care of the patient.  They add to overhead of the medical profession and like all other business those costs are passed on to the customer.

Maybe not 106 Billion? Okay... maybe only 10% of that? Okay...  10 billion here and there adds up to some real money.*


*paraphrasing  Senator Everett Dirksen