The Doctors are Upset with the System-Part 3

There is a problem with the system when the cream of our society is upset. Lawyers say there is no crisis in the medical profession because damage awards continue to escalate. In some states where there is no cap on damage awards they continue to grow. The lawyers continue to make exorbitant pay outs and their bank accounts swell. The question that doctors keep asking, is when will it all slow down?

Premiums continue to rise all over the country and doctors have staged work slow downs. It is hard for me to contemplate doctors consciously protesting their profession. Everyday we put our life in their skilled hands and we have no idea that they cannot pay their bills. Many doctors are emotionally angry and they hold our fate with their decisions. When financial obligations take precedence over professional decisions the patient suffers.

The horror stories continue. Three doctors in Illinois pay $345,000 a year in liability insurance and in July their insurance will increase to $510,410. An obstetrician/gynecologist in New Jersey will have to pay $125,000 this year, which will force her to deliver 5 babies a month to pay her liability insurance. After she is able to cover her liability insurance then she can pay the rest of her bills. The cream of the crop is mad.

Doctors are the cornerstone of our health care system. They have dedicated their entire life to treating the sick but they now feel red tape, insurance, and bureaucratic procedures are making their practices unprofitable. There are 12 states where practicing medicine is a risky business. In New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia there is a crisis. The doctors in these states are moving or they cannot find reasonable premiums. There is a need for reform but many of the laws are being controlled and made by people who say there is no crisis.

The lawyers are correct when doctors make major errors in judgement. But the lawyers know that there are problems with the present system. There is a need for tort reform and a cap on malpractice suits throughout the country. However change in America many times is very slow and the system refuses to acknowledge a need for change. There is becoming a critical shortage of doctors in our country, and who will care for our sick? What happens when doctors refuse to pay insurance premiums?
Roger