Borsinger Family Web Log

I recently wrote a letter to the editor of the Newark Star Ledger and was dissapointed when it did not publish. Given the content of the letter – I concluded that The Star Ledger probably has lawyers reviewing the letters and for that reason – it would never make to the press. So here it is:

 

Letter to Editor Newark Star Ledger

 

It is baffling to me that with all the recent discussions about control of medical costs there has been no talk of tort reform.  The proposed Government solution of reducing payments to doctors and hospitals seems absurd given that many hospitals are at the brink of bankruptcy and many doctors want to quit the profession. The American Trial Lawyers would have us believe that awards due to medical litigation are not a significant driver to medical costs. But those in the medical field know that hidden costs associates with medical liability are driving up medical costs. These include malpractice insurance costs (By 2003, medical liability costs reached $26 billion – a 2,000 percent increase over 1975 1) as well as medical procedures and tests driven by the threat of suits and not by medical needs. And why does a doctor now have to have 3 office assistants to handle the administration for a doctor? That was not the case 30 years ago when I visited a doctor.

 

The US liability laws are a joke to those overseas. What I would like to see is a study that adds up income for all the trial lawyers in the US – and then implement a good tort reform program that would cut out say 50% of that total. I am certain this would reduce medical costs by tens of billions of dollars. What we need to do with doctors and hospitals that commit malpractice is to get rid of them – not supply a gravy train for trial lawyers. We can also use some of the savings from Trial lawyers to better educate and train medical personnel.

Oh – I just remembered that the American Trial Lawyers are one of the Democratic party’s biggest supporters and most elected officials in Washington are lawyers – I may have answered my own question as to why there is no talk of tort reform!

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Gregory Borsinger