Of course, if this long-standing injustice had ever effected any member of the elite ruling class, action would have been taken long ago.
Posted on 02/03/2003 10:31:43 AM PST by coloradan
Doctors from across New Jersey walked off the job on Monday in the first statewide physicians' strike over rising medical malpractice insurance premiums, organizers said.
The work stoppage, likely to be one of the largest ever by U.S. doctors, was intended to disrupt nonemergency medical care for patients who could be forced to visit hospital emergency rooms for treatment of routine medical complaints.
But the state's 22,000 doctors continued to perform emergency surgical operations and handle critical care procedures such as kidney dialysis and cancer treatments.
"The conservative estimates are that probably about half of the physicians in the state are participating in one form or another," said John Shaffer, spokesman for the Medical Society of New Jersey.
"They may be taking one day. They may be taking the week. They may be totally closing their office, or they may only be taking sick calls."
The grass-roots action, which physicians referred to as a "work slowdown," was aimed at pressuring Democratic Gov. Jim McGreevey and the state legislature into capping so-called pain and suffering damages from malpractice lawsuits at $250,000.
Doctors complain that a growing number of malpractice cases have ended with damages exceeding $1 million, forcing insurance premiums to double overnight at a time when physicians face higher overhead and labor costs in operating their practices.
FUTURE OF MEDICINE
Organizers of the work stoppage scaled back plans for rallies after the space shuttle Columbia disaster. Doctors predicted the strike would be no less effective, however.
New Jersey doctors are not alone in protesting insurance costs. In early January, two dozen surgeons at four West Virginia hospitals refused to operate. Last July, 50 doctors shut down the only trauma center in Las Vegas for 10 days.
The issue also has captured the attention of President Bush (news - web sites), who has spoken out in favor of a bill that would place a $250,000 cap on pain and suffering awards and limit punitive damages intended to punish egregious behavior.
But University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Arthur Caplan said the walkouts mainly illustrate how an important debate over reducing medical errors has degenerated into a lobbying contest between two powerful professions.
"The doctors want their premiums reduced and malpractice lawyers want their incomes maintained. Neither is paying attention to the public issue, which is making medicine safer and compensating those who are injured," Caplan said.
He suggested that state lawmakers and medical licensing boards pursue policies that would reduce medical errors by aggressively removing bad doctors from practice.
The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group also complained that doctors have done little do address a chronic lack of health care for the 1.1 million people of the state's 8 million population who cannot afford medical insurance.
The McGreevey administration also has proposed cutting drug assistance for the elderly and health-care coverage for the poor as part of a plan to close the state's $5 billion budget deficit, consumer advocates said.
Of course, if this long-standing injustice had ever effected any member of the elite ruling class, action would have been taken long ago.
Preferrably with syringes and needles....
LAwyers have briefcases .... surgeons have scalpels some some other sharp instruments that don't really bear thinking about.
My money's on the docs.
... who are in the majority in NJ and who dictate policy there, LOL! That said, there are probably people who actually agree with your post, sarcasm-free!
Maybe I should keep my Joisey lawyer butt out of this discussion. ;^)
Seriously, I side with the doctors on this one. There's nothing worse than having a sleazy lawyer take a B.S case against you.
Just the other day, Li Juan Yu, whoever she is, is suing for $10 million for having received MINOR injuries on the DC metrorail.
Well, having no medical professionals at all located within the state might possibly be worse. Who will cry uncle first? The doctors, the laywers, or the legislature?
In my opinion, tort reform is not really necessary. The practice of medicine, on the other hand, could very well change to the extent that tort reform becomes irrelevant.
The day will soon come when patients will be required to sign an agreement with their doctors that limits the amount of non-monetary damages they can collect in the event of a malpractice settlement. If you don't sign the waiver, you won't get treated. There will still be some doctors out there who won't require this waiver, but their fees will be very high and insurance companies will stop doing business with them.
If anyone thinks this sounds outlandish, this is pretty much how the auto insurance industry operates.
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