A study correlates malpractice caps with decreasing rates of the uninsured.
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I thought you guys said the uninsured were that way because they want to be?
We’re uninsured yes because we want to be…we want don’t want to pay high insurance premiums when we keep ourselves healthy and are unlikely to need medical treatment. We also maintain emergency savings to cover costs of unexpected medical care. Got it now?
If the health insurance premium costs come down, and more doctors are available to choose from, then I’d consider buying the insurance.
Well, anonymous 12:44 p.m., I can only hope you have some extra financial resources such as a house, a car and a retirement account you can cash in, because a cancer dx or a traumatic highway crash could easily cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
Most of us can afford the run-of-the-mill stuff. It’s the catastrophic things that add up.
Think it won’t happen to you? Yeah, right, that’s what I said. Nonsmoking, seatbelt-wearing, exercising, vegetarian me. Good thing I had insurance.
You’re right. It’s the catastrophic things that add up. That’s exactly why you should have a high-deductible “catastrophic” insurance policy that’s relatively cheap, and contribute to a Health Savings Account (HSA).
Anon 1:39, are you a physician?
Abstract:
“With 15 percent of the population in the United States lacking health insurance, significant effort is being made to identify solutions. A variety of responses have been implemented, ranging from changes to the insurance regulatory requirements to tax code revisions to legal system modifications. While a large body of literature addresses the effect of legal system modifications on medical malpractice claims and insurance as well as physician availability, we know of no prior research to investigate the effect on rates of uninsured. We test this relationship and discover that caps on non-economic damages are associated with lower rates of uninsured.”
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1007022
You physicians have a different spin on the same issue depending on what political goal you’re trying to reach. When you’re afraid the number of uninsured is being used to promote single payer, you give umpteen reasons why the number of uninsured is false. When a high number of uninsured might put a dollar in your pocket if your insurer decides to, you can’t wait to tout it.
“Anon 1:39, are you a physician?”
No. Nor do I play one on TV.
Why are you asking? Does it make a difference in the validity of my opinion?
Of course it matters.
It is only the opinions, views and positions of physicians that are of merit. Others should just learn to be quiet and do what they are told.
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