[TheForge] Health Insurance

Fri Dec 21 05:09:00 2001

In a message dated 12/20/2001 8:13:01 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
[email protected] writes:

<< 1/3rd to 1/2 of all medical charges go right to the Malpractice Insurance 
premiums.  If you want to complain about US healthcare, the suit-happy civil 
system should be your first target. >>

I think Roy is exactly right on this issue and it is probably the biggest 
single contributor to the high cost of our individual insurance. Here in 
southeastern Pennsylvania it has reached some crisis proportions. 
Pennsylvania does not recognize any cap on medical claim settlements. 
Consequently, our local doctors now pay about $100,000 a year in malpractice 
insurance. Largely because so many trivial injuries result in such high (a 
million or more) settlements. Many look at it as a chance to win the lottery. 
I certainly dont begrudge the ligitimate claims. I'm sure there are many that 
are. But I cant help but believing it is largely the attorneys who are both 
fostering and profiting from this process. 

Many of our local doctors are now being forced out of business or out of 
state. It is happening to one good friend who is also a good blacksmith and 
an accomplished knifemaker. Some are paying 50% of their gross for the 
malpractice insurance which they MUST have.  By the end of the year some of 
these guys arent even making as much as a BLACKSMITH! Many doctor 
reimbursements are fixed by medicare, etc., and they cannot be reimbursed for 
the outlandish insurance costs. Our local hospital may lose four or more of 
its best surgeons because their insurance expires at the end of the year and 
no company wants to underwrite them in Pennsylvania...no matter how much they 
pay. 

Since so many of us self-employed are impacted by these situations it 
certainly behoves us to be aware and to contribute, as best we can, to any 
soutions...whatever they might be. Most certainly this is an important 
theForge discussion that may benefit us all. 

I wonder if it would be possible to buy much lower cost medical coverage that 
contained a "I will not sue" clause of some kind? 

Don Plummer
Plummer Design Works
Phoenixville, PA
www.plummerdesignworks.com