What profession is blamed for $850 billion in Unnecessary Health Care Costs?

[healthmyths]

http://www.jacksonhealthcare.com/media/8968/defensivemedicine_ebook_final.pdf

 

[The Great Goose]

Well, what proffession?

 

[Indeependent]

If we didn't excessively off-shore and business visa the US to death, most people who no longer have health insurance would have health insurance.

 

[Manonthestreet]

I have noticed in work comp situations they try to skimp by and end up spending more....not to mention the PA's arent the best

 

[Indeependent]

I have noticed in work comp situations they try to skimp by and end up spending more....not to mention the PA's arent the best

The Health field is audited quite tightly these days.
We need jobs that provide Health Insurance.

 

[PredFan]

This is true. In my job I have seen countless unnecessary surgeries simply because the risk of not doing the surgery could lead to a massive lawsuit.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Let's go Swedish, or French, or Japanese with our healthcare and cut the whole bill in half.

 

[The Rabbi]

My two brothers are doctors. They agree: No one ever got sued for ordering too many tests.

 

[healthmyths]

Well, what proffession?

Legal Profession

 

[healthmyths]

I don't understand.

It was very clear.

52% of doctors surveyed that were Federally funded i.e. like VA doctors didn't submit duplicate tests, etc. i.e.
Defensive medicine because they couldn't be SUED due to the 1946 Federal Tort Act.
Seems pretty obvious that all the other doctors surveyed that came up with the $850 billion a year figure were
telling us they would continue until tort reform for all physicians happened.
The insurance companies don't care. They simply jack the premiums.
BUT if the $850 billion a year in claims, etc. was reduced by say $200 billion THEN under state laws where
the insurance companies MUST register to sell and these companies have to get permission for rates, the
states would know the companies claims cost payments were reduced. As a result premium rate increase requests
would definitely be rejected and instead maybe even forced to lower!!

The point of the OP is to show this entire $850 billion is directly related to the legal professions penchant to sue the
doctors. If the ACA had incorporated the SAME 10% tax it does on tanning salons because tanning causes cancer on
legal profession because lawyers cause $850 billion a year in defensive medicine the $27 billion in tax revenue would pay the premium for the truly 4 million that wanted and need health insurance. There never were 46 million by the way!
These 4 million could be covered entirely by the $27 billion in taxes and as premiums continued to decline more and more people could afford health insurance!

 

[healthmyths]

For some reason I can't edit the above comment.

I don't understand.
It was very clear.

52% of doctors surveyed that were Federally funded i.e. like VA doctors didn't submit duplicate tests, etc. i.e.
Defensive medicine because they couldn't be SUED due to the 1946 Federal Tort Act.
Seems pretty obvious that all the other doctors surveyed that came up with the $850 billion a year figure were
telling us they would continue until tort reform for all physicians happened.
The insurance companies don't care.
They simply jack the premiums.
BUT say if the $850 billion a year in claims, etc. was reduced by $200 billion, THEN under state laws where the insurance companies MUST register to sell and these companies have to get permission for rates, the states would know the companies claims cost payments were reduced.

As a result premium rate increase requests would definitely be rejected and instead maybe even forced to lower!!

The point of the OP is to show this entire $850 billion is directly related to the legal professions penchant to sue the health care providers.
The ACA incorporated a 10% tax on tanning salons because tanning causes cancer.
If the same 10% tax was made on legal profession because lawyers cause $850 billion a year in defensive medicine,
the $27 billion in tax revenue would pay the premium for the truly 4 million that wanted and need health insurance.

There never were 46 million by the way!

These 4 million could be covered entirely by the $27 billion in taxes and as premiums continued to decline more and more people could afford health insurance!

 

[Mac1958]

Yep. Can't blame the doctors, they have lawyers sniffing at them from every angle.

Insane.
.

 

[strollingbones]

this is so fucking wrong...the high cost of medical treatment has a lot more to do with pharas and medical lobbies....why doesnt the government bargain with drugs companies like canada does....why are doctors allowed to police themselves and do a poor job of it? you want to do away with the ability to sue the doctors that is simply fucked up...they are not gods and they make a lot of mistakes and those mistakes can go from deadly to just a minor fuck up...what about the doctor who was treating patients for cancer....when they did not have cancer.....that was not found for a long time..why....the other medical people turned a blind eye...finally one brace doctor spoke up....no dont blame the lawyers..that is too easy to do....blame the real causes...the inability of the government to reign in the pharm companies etc.....look at who lobbys congress.....you will find medical companies and pharms right up there

 

[strollingbones]

o please...do you really think running tests has nothing to do with simple profit? they want to make a profit......i go in and they run about a grand of tests each time....really ...are all those needed to find out i am dehydrated? simply pinching the skin can show that....

and try to have a baby.....without a c section or without being induced.....

go in with an impact wound near your head....you get a cat scan....

the fault of lawyers or the greed of the medical industry.......toss up

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Let's go Swedish, or French, or Japanese with our healthcare and cut the whole bill in half.

Clueless as usual I see...

 

[JoeB131]

I don't understand.

It was very clear.

52% of doctors surveyed that were Federally funded i.e. like VA doctors didn't submit duplicate tests, etc. i.e.
Defensive medicine because they couldn't be SUED due to the 1946 Federal Tort Act.
Seems pretty obvious that all the other doctors surveyed that came up with the $850 billion a year figure were

This is the common refrain of the medical professions, that if we don't hold them accountable for their mistakes, they can provide cheaper health care.

Forget that Health Provider mistakes KILL 96,000 Americans a year. We totally shouldn't hold these guys responsible for their screwups.

But..

New study: Tort reform has not reduced health care costs in Texas

A new study found no evidence that health care costs in Texas dipped after a 2003 constitutional amendment limited payouts in medical malpractice lawsuits, despite claims made to voters by some backers of tort reform.

The researchers, who include University of Texas law professor Charles Silver, examined Medicare spending in Texas counties and saw no reduction in doctors' fees for seniors and disabled patients between 2002 and 2009. A 2003 voter campaign in Texas, and some congressional backers of Texas-style tort reform in every state, however, argued that capping damage awards would not onlycurb malpractice lawsuits and insurance costs for doctors, it would lower costs for patients while boosting their access to physicians.

 

[healthmyths]

you must be a lawyer!

Also all the studies saying "Texas Tort" reform discuss lowering malpractice insurance premiums. THIS is not the same issue!

The simple proof is doctors under Federal contract can't be sued, hence they don't practice defensive medicine as the study shows.

You provided NO proof of physicians killing 96,000 Americans by mistakes. Where did you get that statistic?
“To Err Is Human” report, which dropped a bombshell on the medical community by reporting that up to 98,000 people a year die because of mistakes in hospitals.
How Many Die From Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals?

I was being very specific. Doctors surveyed SAY they out of fear do defensive medicine... YOUR quote was for hospitals!
OK now proof that the doctors cause 96,000 deaths by mistakes!

 

[JoeB131]

you must be a lawyer!

Also all the studies saying "Texas Tort" reform discuss lowering malpractice insurance premiums. THIS is not the same issue!

The simple proof is doctors under Federal contract can't be sued, hence they don't practice defensive medicine as the study shows.

no, they don't practice defensive medicine because they are limited in their budget as to what they can order. It's not quite the same thing. This is the same argument your side brings up if anyone wants to go to a Canadian or British style single payer system.

You provided NO proof of physicians killing 96,000 Americans by mistakes. Where did you get that statistic?

I said "Health Care Providers". That includes nurses and hospitals and PA's. So I was being pretty specific.

The point is, you shills for Big Medicine want us to give up our right for redress for YOUR mistakes, on the false promise that you will bring the cost of health care down. But it never happens.

 

[healthmyths]

And I was specifically addressing what physicians reported. Not hospitals, not PAs... physicians.
They specifically stated they were afraid of being sued so they refer to others for duplicate tests. They don't make anything off
except protect themselves from being sued!
They reported the $850 billion. So say they are half off! Still over $400 billion WASTED!
Proof was doctors under Federal contract don't do duplicate tests etc. because they can't be sued under 1946 Tort law!
So if it worked for them not to send duplicate wasted claims then same hold true for non federal doctors.
Remember the insurance companies pay the claim and THEN raise the premiums to cover the claims.
So simply reducing this $850 billion figure by 20% a year will directly lower health insurance premiums!
I'm not shilling for anyone except the f...king truth here! Only idiots don't seem to understand the concept that
WE ALL pay in the end ! I just want to cut down how much I have to pay i..e in health insurance premiums!

 

[SwimExpert]

The Health field is audited quite tightly these days.
We need jobs that provide Health Insurance.

No. Health insurance is the cause of inflating health care costs, not the solution. We should abolish health insurance. When people start having to pay directly out of pocket, providers will be forced to reduce their 10,000% markups on tongue depressors and the like.