Tort Reform

Which brings me back to the fact that the health insurance system should be a not-for-profit industry; there is no way to prevent corruption in a business that profits from the possibility of illness, injury and/or suffering. I know I am going to catch hell for saying this on these boards, but the more I consider it, the more I see the wisdom in a single-payer system.

are non-profit or government run systems immune from corruption? (i'd suggest you research the systems in canada or britian for answers)

also, since you feel people should have recourse in the event of negligence, do you feel you'll have that if your insurance is provided by the same institution that defines our court system?

I agree with you here; I guess my viewpoint is that at this time, the gov't is the lesser of two evils, the other evil being a profiteering corporation. Eliminating fraud in all aspects should absolutely be a priority.

I totally disagree. Government IS the evil when they refuse to listen to the people who elected them. With a capitalistic system, you have the right to change insurance companies if you don't like their coverage, rates or service. You can't fire the government once they take over the health care system. You will end up being at the mercy of the government for your health care and they will have the power to supply what you need or ration care when funds run short. Name one government program that has functioned at a lower rate than predicted by the government. Name one government program that has operated efficiently. Name one government program that is not running out of funds. When government controlled health care - a single payer system - runs out of money, you have NO HEALTH CARE!

here's a thought experiment for people - pick an institution within the federal government that expends around 50 billion a year, and pick a private business that generates about 50 billion in annual revenue (microsoft for example). if you audited both entities for fraud and waste, which do you think would turn out to be more efficient and fraud free?

I totally disagree. Government IS the evil when they refuse to listen to the people who elected them. With a capitalistic system, you have the right to change insurance companies if you don't like their coverage, rates or service. You can't fire the government once they take over the health care system. You will end up being at the mercy of the government for your health care and they will have the power to supply what you need or ration care when funds run short. Name one government program that has functioned at a lower rate than predicted by the government. Name one government program that has operated efficiently. Name one government program that is not running out of funds. When government controlled health care - a single payer system - runs out of money, you have NO HEALTH CARE!

IMO, private insurance should always be an option, for those who wish to purchase it. But, to address your capped words, I (already) HAVE NO HEALTH CARE! I'm currently working on paying for a $1000 bill from our local hospital for my annual visit three months ago with my OB where she ran a couple extra tests. I am outraged by what I am being charged for this, and I don't even come close to being able to afford it. When I went to pick up my prescription from Publix, a tube of skin creme that cost me $15 ten years ago, is now $68. I had to leave the pharmacy, in tears, because I couldn't afford it. Do you not see any problem with this?

I work, two jobs. I am a responsible adult and I pay my taxes every year. Those of you who are lucky enough to work for companies who can afford to provide you with health insurance have no idea what it is like for those of us who don't.

Government is US. WE ARE the government. And believe me, WE are listening. It is not in any way an easy problem to fix, but I believe that the government is sincere in its current effort.

And no, 30AShopper, I am not so naive to think there is no corruption in not-for-profits or in the government. There is corruption everywhere. Again, I said it's the lesser of two evils; in my opinion the for-profit corporations are more corrupt. Short answer to your second question is yes.

WCW...you are such a perfect example of someone (like me) who thought they knew, but they had no idea. Tort reform is much more complicated than the "it needs to be fixed" than I thought. I started reading and so many questions (as 30a shopper shows) come up and it makes me want to go take a tort class and an ethics class simultaneously! I think one's head might explode! ;-) In the end, I think this whole issue is important to the health care reform and needs to be addressed.

As to the whole government running healthcare...it can sound good on paper and one can be hopeful it would work, but when I see what has happened with other government run social programs, ugh, I am not so hopeful. I do become MORE hopeful as the days pass and they aren't running with the bulls to pass a bill. Research is a good thing.

30a shopper...could you be so kind as to post some Canadian or British malpractice cases against the national healthcare system? Wondering how that works.

Thanks to all for the civil discourse. We have shown it can be accomplished in the P&CE forum.

I keep thinking of things I forgot to add...WCW, thank you for your personal story. For me, it brings reality to the healthcare problem so many are facing. You story is compelling and I realize it is happening to hard working people everyday. How do you feel about illegals going to the ER and getting free healthcare? Ugh...see, another question!

IMO, private insurance should always be an option, for those who wish to purchase it. But, to address your capped words, I (already) HAVE NO HEALTH CARE! I'm currently working on paying for a $1000 bill from our local hospital for my annual visit three months ago with my OB where she ran a couple extra tests. I am outraged by what I am being charged for this, and I don't even come close to being able to afford it. When I went to pick up my prescription from Publix, a tube of skin creme that cost me $15 ten years ago, is now $68. I had to leave the pharmacy, in tears, because I couldn't afford it. Do you not see any problem with this?

I work, two jobs. I am a responsible adult and I pay my taxes every year. Those of you who are lucky enough to work for companies who can afford to provide you with health insurance have no idea what it is like for those of us who don't.

Government is US. WE ARE the government. And believe me, WE are listening. It is not in any way an easy problem to fix, but I believe that the government is sincere in its current effort.

And no, 30AShopper, I am not so naive to think there is no corruption in not-for-profits or in the government. There is corruption everywhere. Again, I said it's the lesser of two evils; in my opinion the for-profit corporations are more corrupt. Short answer to your second question is yes.

they charge you higher fees because you don't have representation and bargaining power. consider this - under current reforms w/o the government plan you'll be able to afford top quality private coverage equal to that of the folks who have employer based plans.

30a shopper...could you be so kind as to post some Canadian or British malpractice cases against the national healthcare system? Wondering how that works.

will try to. i'm currently being nursed back to good health by our crummy healthcare system after herniating a disk. this system we have is so bad! in the emergency room it took a whole 30 minutes to get a catscan, the drugs i'm on were available at the cvs drive thru 20 minutes after they faxed in the perscriptions, had to wait two whole two days for a follow up with my doc, and i had to wait a whole week for my first physical therepy session! the horror of it all!!

WASHINGTON ? Outside the Veterans Affairs Department, severely wounded veterans have faced financial hardship waiting for their first disability payment. Inside, money has been flowing in the form of $24 million in bonuses.

In scathing reports this week, the VA's inspector general said thousands of technology office employees at the VA received the bonuses over a two-year period, some under questionable circumstances. It also detailed abuses ranging from nepotism to an inappropriate relationship between two VA employees.

The inspector general accused one recently retired VA official of acting "as if she was given a blank checkbook" as awards and bonuses were distributed to employees of the Office of Information and Technology in 2007 and 2008. In some cases the justification for the bonuses was inadequate or questionable, the IG said.

The official, Jennifer S. Duncan, also engaged in nepotism and got $60,000 in bonuses herself, the IG said. In addition, managers improperly authorized college tuition payments for VA employees, some of whom were Duncan's family members and friends. That cost taxpayers nearly $140,000.

As vets await checks, VA workers get $24M bonuses - Yahoo! News

i understand our current private insurance system has issues wcw.. but you are making an argument for changing that system to public without substantiating that the result would somehow be better. so far no one on these forums has produced a compelling argument for it.

And, in the US, our Fed, State, and Municipal governments have sovreign immunity. In some cases a government has been sued for negligence. But, could you imagine the suits flying if these stops weren't in place?

Yikes!

Does anyone believe any lawyer would want to change the laws so they can't sue for unlimited amounts of money. By just threating to sue for untold fortunes many times they reap amazing amounts in settlements. All aboard the Gravy Train!!!