I guess it wasn't just doctors and insurance companies that offered a counter argument to that Dartmouth study...
On Aug 13, 8:32 am, Cold Water <[email protected]> wrote: > Tort reform must be part of health care reform > By: Gov. Rick Perry > Special to The Examiner > August 13, 2009 > To hear federal officials tell it, they’ve got all the answers on health care > and it’s up to the rest of us to sit, wait and embrace whatever solution — if > any — they may eventually provide. > > I find this troubling, since states have shown they know a thing or two about > solving problems that affect their citizens. > > Texas, in fact, stands as a good example of how smart, responsible policy can > help us take major steps toward fixing a damaged medical system, starting > with legal reforms. > > Just six years ago, Texas was mired in a health care crisis. Our doctors were > leaving the state, or abandoning the profession entirely, because of > frivolous lawsuits and the steadily increasing medical malpractice insurance > premiums that resulted. > > Two-thirds of our state’s counties had no practicing obstetricians, and for > pregnant women that meant long trips in cramped cars and higher fuel bills. > Sixty percent of our counties had no pediatricians, which often meant > delayed, or denied, health care for sick children. > > And 24 counties in the Rio Grande Valley had no primary care doctors. > > Each of those factors made it more likely that patients in underserved areas > would postpone seeking care, which meant minor issues became major issues, > and illnesses that could have been treated simply, easily and economically in > a doctor’s office turned into severe health crises that had to be treated in > the emergency room. > > And the situation was worsening with every passing day. By 2002, 13 of the > state’s 17 liability insurance carriers had left, leaving less competition > and leaving doctors with insurance bills that were seeing double-digit > increases, if they could get insurance at all. > > That same year, applications for medical licenses plummeted to their lowest > level in a decade. > > This being Texas, instead of throwing money at the problem or debating > endlessly, we identified the root causes and decided to do something about it. > > In 2003, I declared the medical liability crisis an emergency item and the > Legislature responded by passing sweeping reforms that protected the patient, > but also shielded doctors and hospitals from unscrupulous trial lawyers eager > to make a quick buck. > > We capped noneconomic damages at $250,000 per defendant, or up to $750,000 > per incident, while placing no cap on more easily determined economic > damages, such as lost wages or costs of medical care due to injury. > > We ended the practice of allowing baseless but expensive lawsuits to drag on > indefinitely, requiring plaintiffs to provide expert witness reports to > support their claims within four months of filing suit or drop the case. > > These measures were supported by the people of Texas, who in September 2003 > approved a ballot measure, Proposition 12, authorizing all the changes. > > Changes were seen immediately, and continue to be felt. All major liability > insurers cut their rates upon passage of our reforms, with most of those cuts > ranging in the double-digits. More than 10 new insurance carriers entered the > Texas market, increasing competition and further lowering costs. > > As a result, Texas doctors have seen their insurance rates decline by an > average of 27 percent. > > The number of doctors applying to practice medicine in Texas has skyrocketed > by 57 percent. In 2008, the Texas Medical Board received 4,023 license > applications and issued a record 3,621 new ones. > > In all, in just the first five years after reforms passed, 14,498 doctors > either returned to practice in Texas or began practicing here for the first > time. > > And our reforms finally brought critical specialties to underserved areas. > The number of obstetricians practicing in rural Texas is up by 27 percent, > and 12 counties that previously had no obstetricians now have at least one. > The statistics show major gains in fields like orthopedic surgery, > pediatrics, neurosurgery and emergency medicine. > > The Rio Grande Valley has seen an 18 percent growth in applications to > practice medicine, adding about 200 doctors to this critically underserved > area. > > And what about the money that used to go to defending all those frivolous > lawsuits? You can find it in budgets for upgraded equipment, expanded > emergency rooms, patient safety programs and improved primary and charity > care. > > Success stories like ours need to be told and need to be remembered as we > continue this national debate. > > Instead of handing down one-size-fits-all mandates on how it’s going to be, > Washington, D.C., should be enabling states to set their own agendas and > solve their own problems when it comes to health care. > > Rick Perry is the Republican governor of Texas. > > Find this article at: > http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/oped_contributors/Tort-refo... > > spacer.gif > < 1KViewDownload --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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