The veto showed the power of the trial lawyers:
For a case study in the political power of trial lawyers, consider Oklahoma. The public wants tort reform, the state Legislature wants it, and even Democratic Governor Brad Henry claims to want it. Yet that didn’t stop Mr. Henry from recently vetoing an impressive reform bill at the urging of his plaintiff lawyer funders.Oklahoma sure needs something. The state is 38th on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s rankings of state liability systems. It suffers badly in comparison to neighboring Texas, which has used its sweeping 2003 tort reform to lure business across the border. Malpractice premiums are high, and rural areas in Oklahoma report shortages of such specialty doctors as obstetricians.
(via PointofLaw.com)
Related posts:
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- Texas tort reform a "national success story"
- Tort reform: "It does not get any clearer"
- Tort reform in Texas: Working better than expected
- How tort reform can stimulate the economy
- Tort reform in Oklahoma
- Tort reform vetoed in Oklahoma
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Actually, it shows the power of common sense and the realization that insurance companies have plenty of money.
How does the US Chamber of Commerce come to its rankings? And what businesses have left Oklahoma?
More false propaganda from the insurance lobby, screwing the injured to squeeze a few more dollars out. Good thing they’ve got doctors like Kevin to keep the message out there!
It certainly shows a problem, but I’m not convinced it’s just about the power of trial lawyer dollars. That may be it, but I’m not convinced yet.
Any time any fairly popular legislation is defeated, its opponents always point to the “fact” that X politician got some money from Y special interest, and that’s the driving force behind the decision. Gun control people always blame politicians being paid off by the NRA, and don’t stop to consider that the money may in fact be coming to the politician as a result of his previously held views, and not that the money is purchasing a certain vote.
The governor of Oklahoma made a grievous error, and it certainly coincides with additional personal profit for those who supported him, but that’s a far cry from showing that trial lawyer money purchased the outcome.
Not that it’s not possible. Personal injury lawyers do a lot of horrible things for the sake of getting paid, as we’re all aware, but I would need to know more before I was convinced that the governor vetoed a sound bill solely on the basis of where his money came from.
Why was it a “grievous error”? Maybe he felt that insurers were profitable enough and didn’t need to be insulated from the results of their insured’s actions – why would that be grievous?
Personal injury lawyers do plenty of horrible things. Holding doctors’ liability carriers liable appears to be the most “grievous” of them. Representing the injured is also a “grievous” error. If it weren’t for personal injury lawyers, no one would ever be harmed and if they were, the person causing the harm would always pay their fair share no questions asked. Plus Christmas would be every day.
I realize that PointofLaw is lobbying for its clients, but I don’t get the whole “rural areas short of this or that specialty” justification and I can’t see how anyone with a clue buys it. Hasn’t this been the case for time immemorial for all types of things? From exotic cheeses to DSLs, rural areas are short of things.
Unless physicians are claiming that everyone has a right to have a specialist within 10 minutes of their home in BFE. But physicians don’t appear to want to think healthcare is a right.
Obviously Dr. Kevin has been inundated with the lies from his insurance companies or he just wants immunity if he harms someone. The major fact, no one for tort reform supplies any facts to support it. Why? Because there is no crisis in OKlahoma. The amount of doctors in OKlahoma increase every year and our insurance rates are still lower than Texas. However, keep spreading the propoganda and lies. Lets continue to deprive citizens of their right in favor of fear tactics and the rich.
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