A Sure Way To Cut Medical Costs

[Chris_]

A Sure Way To Cut Medical Costs

Health Care: Congress is ready to spend a lot of other people's money on its idea of reform. Yet one sure way to bring down costs is being ignored, and that says a lot about the Democrats' effort.

The Democrats pushing hard for Washington's eventual takeover of the health care industry have dismissed tort reform as a way to bring down medical care costs.

They've said the savings just aren't there. Though some would argue differently, their position was supported by a federal analysis.

Almost a year ago, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that changing the rules governing medical malpractice lawsuits would save a mere $5.6 billion over 10 years. Hardly a speck relative to the $2.5 trillion, or 17.6% of gross domestic product, that Americans will spend on health care this year.

The CBO, however, has issued a new analysis, this one figuring in tort reform proposals that would place reasonable limits on medical malpractice lawsuits. In taking a fresh look, the CBO believes tort reform would save $54 billion over 10 years.

Growing health care costs have been driven in part by the widespread practice of physicians overtreating their patients and high malpractice insurance premiums charged by carriers.

Doctors and insurance companies aren't demonstrating the greed they are so often accused of. They're simply protecting themselves from an aggressive medical malpractice lawsuit industry and the outrageous awards that juries often hand out.

To shield themselves from abusive lawsuits, doctors feel they need to engage in defensive medicine. They order tests and procedures they don't believe to be necessary, and schedule redundant visits and consultations out of an abundance of caution. This raises the demand for services, and when demand grows, so must prices.

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