Tort reform is a policy no-brainer. Experts on left and right agree that defensive medicine—ordering tests and procedures solely to protect against Joe Lawyer—adds enormously to health costs. The estimated dollar benefits of reform range from a conservative $65 billion a year to perhaps $200 billion. In context, Mr. Obama's plan would cost about $100 billion annually. That the president won't embrace even modest change that would do so much, so quickly, to lower costs, has left Americans suspicious of his real ambitions
The only folks not on board are a handful of powerful trial lawyers, and a handful of politicians who receive a generous cut of those lawyers' contingency fees. The legal industry was the top contributor to the Democratic Party in the 2008 cycle, stumping up $47 million. The bill is now due, and Democrats are dutifully making a health-care down payment
Mr. Obama is instead directing his secretary of health and human services to move forward on test projects even though tort reform has already reduced costs in both Texas and California. Since the Secretary of Health and Human Services is Kathleen Sebelius, who spent eight years as the head of the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association - many of us are questioning just how committed to tort reform this President is.
0 comments:
Post a Comment