Just what is this "defensive medicine" Bush keeps talking about?

BUSH: In the last debate, my opponent said those lawsuits only caused the cost to go up by 1 percent. Well, he didn't include the defensive practice of medicine that costs the federal government some $28 billion a year and costs our society between $60 billion and $100 billion a year."

Are they wearing teflon vests or something?

He mentioned this in the last debate, too.

practicing medicine to avoid malpractice lawsuits. Ordering unnecessary tests, ordering expensive tests to make it look like a certain diagnosis was considered. Making notes the doctor can defend when they get sued, and their deposition is taken.

Bush's implication is that it's all the fault of the trial lawyers. Like the trial lawyers MAKE the doctors commit malpractice.

Like Hitler, Bush needs a demon. This election, it's trial lawyers.

tests run by doctors in an attempt to avoid malpractice suits.

It IS a real issue.

We had a list of three prices for our tests, which were in the area of parasitology and bacteria (like the helicobacter pylori test for ulcers). The highest price was for insurance/medicare/caid. The second lowest price was if we were charging the patient who did not have insurance. (No difference whatsoever in the test, just the price).

And the lowest price of all, significantly lower than the first two, was to the physician if we sold the test directly to the physician, some of these tests only cost $50 to $100, they were basically paying for materials, and they could literally turn around and charge the patient ANY PRICE THEY WANTED. And many did, from $500 to $1000, or whatever they felt based on whatever profit they wanted to make. And having worked for a veterinarian I know we had vets in our area who would run EVERY CONCEIVABLE TEST on people's animals, just for the dough. And with your own health, are you going to say no? This line sounds like a gripe from HMOs who don't want doctors to do anything except throw some maggots on you and follow up with leeches. I'm pretty suspicious of this, it sounds too much like the tort reform pseudo-strategy.