Scottsdale – as the health debate heats up in D.C. , I found some interesting numbers we should all keep in mind about what makes health care so expensive!  I think that if we fall asleep on this one, we’ll all suffer in the end. This information can be found in the online journal, Politico.

  • According to HHS, doctors order $60 billion worth of unnecessary tests, procedures and other forms of defensive medicine – in large part to protect themselves from abusive lawsuits – per year.
  • The Congressional Budget Office estimates that limiting non-economic damages – awards for “pain and suffering” – would reduce medical liability insurance rates by 25% to 30%.  Lower liability premiums mean lower health care costs.
  • The Congressional Budget Office completed an analysis of the effects of Tort Reform proposals on the costs to our health-care system which could save the country $54 billion over 10 years.

Americancourthouse.com commented on this  article: “Trial lawyers lobby is desperate to scare Americans into believing the medical liability reform will limit their access to the courts in the event of a true medical mistake.  But the only thing it will limit is the ability of trial lawyers to walk away with Powerball-sized legal fees”.

I can assert that during my training in surgery about 50 percent of the actions taken , in terms of ordering tests and other labs, were to cover against some uncommon causes in the differential of the disease. In some cases we ruled out even very rare conditions just to close the door against potential liability.  It is unlikely that health care costs will go down without tort reform.