reply to post by Eurisko2012
FYI, tort reform isn't healthcare reform, it's legal system reform that puts a monetary cap on human life and pain/suffering. Healthcare reduction
is a theorized benefit of tort reform.
The theory goes: patients can only sue 100,000 dollars for a doctor leaving a clamp in their kidney, so insurance companies will therefore be able to
lower malpractice insurance towards doctors which will therefore lower costs of patient treatment and surgery.
It's basically the "trickle down" theory with another name. And we all saw how amazing trickle down economics works, right? I mean, American's
overall salaries skyrocketed this past decade with tax cuts for the rich! Salaries outpaced inflation, employment hit all time lows, the middle class
surged, and the economy soared!
Oh, wait...Was that how it happened?
Is it more likely that an insurance company will spread the profits to its owners, directors, and shareholders than actually lower costs? Is it more
likely that doctors will charge less for procedures, or take the increase in income from lower malpractice law suits and keep procedures at the same
cost?
Tort reform has been passed in several states. Texas is one of them. Feel free to research.
Tort reform in Texas was supposedly passed to decrease the incentive for people with non-meritous claims to file lawsuits. The real effect
however, was to decrease the incentive and the ability of those with meritous claims to file lawsuits. Our courts already have numerous mechanisms in
place to dismiss non-meritous cases. There's motions to dismiss, summary judgments, and the contingency-fee agreement, and judges have the ability to
issue directed verdicts. Tort reform isn't about cheaper health care, it's about legislating away financial risk to insurers, which exist solely to
assume responsibility for that risk.
Source
On the rest.
1. Who cares?
2. Ever heard of compromise? So Democrats and Liberals are willing to budge on matters important to them (and a huge chunk of the electorate) and seek
a compromise with Republicans. But partisan Republicans aren't? Glad to see the do nothing party of "no" is still there to be the bad cop to the
Democratic good cop!
3. And focus groups are a bad thing because? Well, perhaps Obama shouldn't have organized town halls either. That way a much more liberal healthcare
bill would have passed much more easily!
4. The insurance companies are worth demonizing. How can you not see that? Are you totally ignorant of the facts? Do you realize how much the cost of
insurance and medical care has skyrocketed because of solely profit-driven insurance? Why you're somehow completely against protecting an individual
American citizen in healthcare or the justice system is beyond me.
5. They can laugh all they want. They're just corporate puppets like the Democrats anyway. Unfortunately for them, they're taking a huge gamble that
no healthcare reform will pass. I doubt they'll be laughing come election season if something does pass.
6. Already addressed.
7. Not worth addressing, but not surprising considering the OP's posting history.
I should probably eat
something....
