GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum - View Single Post - WARNING Obama thinks that the constraints of the Consistution are a "tragedy"!!!!!!

pocketkangaroo · 10-27-2008, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pleasurepays

first random result in google for "cost of malpractice insurance"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/...in610102.shtml

3.2%

huh?

next result... something i already mentioned... many cities and counties have a shortage of obgyn's because they can't afford to practice

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-hco053105.php

next result...

http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporte...alpractice.htm

"In 1997, we paid $4.4 million to cover all of our clinical faculty and the hospital, and now we are paying $24 million in premiums,"

next result...

http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/i...ce/medicalmal/

"Among the other factors driving up prices was a reduced supply of available coverage as several major insurers exited the medical malpractice business because of the difficulty of making a profit."

should i go on? or do you guys know how to use google?

You are pulling up individual cases. The national average is 3.2%.

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1303
http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/reporte...alpractice.htm
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/pr...sp?Counter=735

These numbers are from from Health and Human Services. Those are articles and testimony from both sides of the argument that state the 3.2% national average.

Now I'm sure you can find individual cases of high costs for malpractice. Typically the insurance is based on risk and previous history. Those with malpractice lawsuits against them will pay higher fees. Just as a bad driver will pay higher insurance rates because of previous accidents/tickets.

I have said multiple times in this thread that tort reform is necessary. But I think it's silly to believe that this is the primary reason health costs are high considering the small expense it has on the average physician.

It is also worth noting that unemployment rates among doctors are much better than the national average. There is in fact a shortage of doctors in many parts of the country (especially highly skilled ones). This is the reason they are so highly paid. Lets not pretend that there are doctors on the side of the road begging for handouts.