Posted on 11/21/2007 1:29:05 PM PST by Jim Robinson
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called Tuesday for capping medical malpractice lawsuits, a point that drew loud applause at an Iowa medical school.
Romney focused on health care in an address to some 500 students and faculty at Des Moines University. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney pushed through a plan aimed at reducing the ranks of uninsured in Massachusetts, a group once estimated at up to 500,000. Massachusetts residents had until last Thursday to sign up for health insurance or face possible penalties — a milestone Romney's rivals gleefully noted.
"I believe we have to enact federal caps on non-economic and punitive damages related to malpractice," Romney said. "These lottery-sized awards and frivolous lawsuits may enrich the trial lawyers but they put a heavy burden on doctors, hospitals and, of course through defensive medicine, they put a burden on the entire health care system."
Romney also would encourage states to create health courts with judges experienced in handling medical liability cases and would ask states to adopt sanctions against lawyers and others who repeatedly file frivolous malpractice claims.
"We've got to reign in the incessant cost of medical liability," he said.
~snip~
At one point, Romney joked about the "teeth" of failing to sign up in Massachusetts.
"If you don't have insurance you get charged $100 on your tax bill," he said. "So people are going to start buying insurance."
~snip~
Later, Romney told reporters the carrot-and-stick approach is necessary to get people to take responsibility for their own health care costs
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.google.com ...
President Reagan: In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?
He only wants these capped so victims of RomneyCare can’t sue the government.
You don’t support capping Malpractice Lawsuits?
Seriously?
Why not just “Loser Pays”?
Government knows best.
Government doesn’t know best. But government screwed things up by creating a legal system that allows such ridiculously large suits to take place. Since they broke it, it’s their job to fix it. And tort reform is the best first step to fixing the escalating costs in health care.
Romney's health plan as presidential candidate focuses on a federalist approach in which states craft their own programs. Federalism is ok.
Anyone lacking insurance coverage on Dec. 31 will lose the personal exemption on their state income tax filing next spring, equal to $219. If they remain uninsured into 2008, they will be taxed up to 50 percent of the cost of the least expensive private insurance plan — an estimated hit of at least $150 a month.It sounds like everyone has to buy a health plan. If they don't, then they have to pay more taxes. I see no problem with everyone having a health plan, the same as I see no problem with requiring car insurance, but I'd like to see "self-insured" as one of the options for those who can demonstrate the financial resources.
Later, Romney told reporters the carrot-and-stick approach is necessary to get people to take responsibility for their own health care costs.Again, we require car insurance. But we don't tell everyone which company to buy from. We do have minimum legal coverage limits.
"It's a recognition that people have a responsibility if they can afford insurance to either buy insurance or pay their own way," he said. "It's the ultimate conservative view that people have the responsibility to care for themselves and not to look to government to care for them."I see no problem with people paying their own way. I don't think they should get to have the state (ME) pay their health costs just because they walk in an emergency room and claim lack of insurance.
I am in favor of freedom to reject buying insurance if you can answer one question for me. What happens if someone rejects buying insurance but gets seriously ill and is brought into an ER for help. They can’t pay. The hospital can’t turn them away. Who pays the bill? If they are illegal, I would say treat the emergency and then ship them out of the country. What do you do if they are legal citizens?
Government forcing us into any insurance plan whatsoever is socialism and it’s unconstitutional.
I would support knee-capping the attorneys.
Exactly.
Seems your point is too simple for them to understand.
Much like Romney’s Socialized Medical Plan, they have to make it real complicated so only they can understand.
The best step is to open up interstate commerce on medical insurance, and give options to the consumer in programs they wish to chose. Lawsuits while not completely neligible (to cost), have significantly less to do with rising costs...than obstructed trade and choice.
In this case, I will say it’s a matter of state-developed monopolies/mandates...that’s the underlining problem. The federal authority (underlined in our Constitution) on maintaining free-trade among the states...is an important thing to address.
Romney’s wrong in his view, and while I generally agree with Reagan...we do need federal authority to step in and say trade among the states must not be impeded. If it continues to be, it’s evitable that HillRomney Care comes to be.
Thanks, Jim.
Do you feel the same about auto insurance?
Jim’s talking about the federal government, not the state. If states want to force universal healthcare, I have no problem with it. I’ll just move to a different state.
Capping malpractice lawsuits is a much better repair of increasing healthcare costs than “Hillary Care”.
I don’t know about Jim, but I certainly do.
It is definitely NOT the role of government to tell us that we need insurance for anything.
In a society and culture based on Personal Responsibility, there would be no need for this type of nanny-statism.
1. The problem is that the FEDERAL government has since 1986 MANDATED that all hospitals take emergency patients regardless of ability to pay.
2. The uninsured leave behind roughly $1,000 APIECE in unpaid medical bills EVERY YEAR.
3. 85% of those unpaid bills end up being absorbed by taxpayers; the rest is absorbed by higher bills paid by everyone else.
An individual mandate is nothing more than an effort to shift that $1,000 in unpaid bills back to where it belongs.
Would we be better off in a world where hospitals and doctors could freely elect to leave the uninsured to die in the streets if they lacked the means to pay?
It doesn’t really matter, since until/unless Romney becomes president, he as governor was stuck with inconvenient truths #1-#3 above. An individual mandate isn’t perfect, but it’s certainly more fair than the status quo.
Just another excuse for Romney not exercising his Veto rights when he should have as a responsible leader.
Not to be overly dramatic about it, but I’ve been hit by an uninsured driver in the past. Fortunately, my insurance company covered it, but WHY should that guy be allowed to get away with not paying for damages that he caused?
I know my insurance company never got reimbursed.
How do I get reimbursed when some jerk who doesn’t have a dime to his name decides to jump in a pickup and drive like a nut?
I LIKE the idea that when you go to get a license to drive that you have to put an amount in escrow or show insurance.
HOW is that different than my having to pay a deposit to rent someone’s apartment?
“Since they broke it, it’s their job to fix it. And tort reform is the best first step to fixing the escalating costs in health care.”
Fix it at the state and local level!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.