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http://www2.ljworld.com/news...inds/
This probably doesn't surprise anyone, but
I still found the article quite interesting. The writer had some very
specific statistics regarding how much more healthcare cost in the
U.S., yet failed to explain their blatant dismissal of medical
malpractice suits as a cause of the high cost.
U.S. citizens paid $5,267 per person for
health care in 2002, the study found, 53 percent more than any other
industrialized country and $1,821 more than Switzerland, the nation
with the second highest per-capita spending.
While medical malpractice is a problem, its
costs account for less than 1 percent of spending. And defensive
medicine, where doctors run tests or do procedures to lower their
chances of being sued, makes up no more than 9 percent of total
spending, the study of spending in 30 nations found.
There was absolutely no mention of the
exhorbinant cost of medical malpractice liability insurance that
doctors are forced to cope with. As long as doctors are open to
frivolous lawsuits, the cost of their liability insurance is going to
continue to rise. This contributes to the general rise of health care
costs, which in turn raises health insurance premiums, making it harder
and harder for working citizens to afford quality health insurance
coverage.
tags: medical malpractice, tort reform, healthcare costs
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