Shortsightedness

Shortsightedness

Ain’t it great?!  That’s what you hear when a doctor gets sued and loses a malpractice case.  Or when McDonalds gets sued for making coffee hot and a jury awards the “victim” $2 million.  Or, as a USA Today headline blared, “Pfizer fined $2.3 billion for illegal marketing.”  

And then the same person complains about the high cost of medical insurance, the rising cost of hamburgers, or the soaring cost of drugs.  Duh!

How can they be that shortsighted?

Who do they think pays for outrageous legal costs and awards?  Who do they think pays for a $2.3 billion fine?

You and I do, of course.

Malpractice insurance for doctors costs $100,000 to $300,000 per year depending on the type of doctor.  Those sky high insurance costs are paid for by the fees the doctor charges.  When those fees go up to cover their insurance premium, so does your medical insurance.  If we get rid of punitive damages, the number of lawsuits will decrease dramatically and medical insurance bills will fall accordingly.

When McDonalds has to pay out $2 million for someone else’s stupidity, or another company has to pay out totally unreasonable amounts to settle a claim for doing something stupid, the cost of the service increases.

When Pfizer has to pay out a $2.3 billion fine for “illegal marketing,” either the cost of our medications goes up or a new drug that could save a life or stop a disease gets sidetracked.
Wise up Americans!  When huge fines are paid or huge legal awards are made by the court, you and I lose.  It may make you feel good to stick it to someone, but in the end, you are the one who gets stuck.

The only ones who win are the lawyers.  

Our President claims to be promoting health care reform, yet this so-called reform does 
not include tort reform!  What kind of reform is that?