Bush Campaigns in Charlotte (NC)

Saturday, September 18, 2004
President reaches out to female voters in North Carolina at rally dubbed 'W Is for Women'

<snip> He pointed to Edwards and other trial lawyers as part of the reason for spiraling health-care costs, saying that "junk lawsuits" cause doctors to practice defensive medicine that costs $28 billion a year.

"We need to do something about it. Too many good docs are leaving practices. Too many women are having trouble with keeping their OB/GYN - particularly the OB parts of the OB/GYN," Bush said. "We need medical-liability reform now. This is an issue in this campaign."

On stage, Bush introduced Dr. Andrea Torsone, an obstetrician from Raleigh who said she gave up delivering babies after her malpractice premiums more than tripled in three years.

"I don't think you can be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-hospital and pro-trial lawyer at the same time," Bush said. "My opponent made his choice, and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket." <snip>

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031778027992&path=!localnews&s=1037645509099


Tort-reform B*s* will be a major feature of the * campaign. The issue repeatedly gets debunked: here's a recent NC discussion:

The Medical Malpractice “Crisis” in North Carolina: Fantasy and Reality
by Burton Craige

<snip> We hear claims that obstetricians areleaving North Carolina in droves because of malpractice lawsuits. Let’s look at the facts. From 1995 to 2001, the population of North Carolina increased from 7.2 millionto 8.2 million, an increase of 2.3 percent per year. During the same period, the number of obstetricians practicing in North Car-olina increased from 747 to 937, an annual rate of increase of 4.2 percent. In other words, the number of obstetricians in North Carolina has grown almost twice as fast as the state’s population. <snip>

... for many years, malpractice premiums in North Carolina have increased more slowly than the rate of increase patients have faced in the cost of medical services. From mid-1989 through the end of 2002, the premiums of Medical Mutual of North Carolina — the largest writer of malpractice insurance in the state — increased at an annual rate of 3.9 percent. During the same period, the cost of medical services, including physicians’ services, increased at an annual rate of 5.4 percent. In 2002, Medical Mutual increased its premiums by 12 percent to compensate for a lower rate of return on its investments. <snip>

Three years ago, the Institute of Medicine concluded that between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die every year in hospitals because of medical errors. Based on those statistics, it is estimated that 1,200 to 2,800 North Carolinians die each year as a result of medical mistakes. And the number of non-fatal injuries caused by medical mistakes far exceeds the number of deaths. Yet, in North Carolina, only 608 medical malpractice lawsuits were filed in 2002— just a fraction of the thousands of patients injured or killed every year by medical errors. In view of this epidemic of medical mistakes, it is striking that so few lawsuits arefiled. With brutal efficiency, the legal system in North Carolina discourages patients from filing malpractice claims. Malpractice cases are notoriously expensive and difficult to win. Rule 9( j), a procedural hurdle that applies only to malpractice cases, forces the plaintiff to obtain a qualified expert witness who will vouch that the claim has merit before the patient can file suit. Injured patients face the daunting task of finding experts willing to break the code ofsilence and testify against a colleague. The “routine” malpractice case requires upwards of $50,000 in litigation expenses. If the patient loses, neither the patient nor attorney is paid. Recognizing these formidable obstacles, lawyers know they must file well-founded claims. <snip>

North Carolina juries are remarkably conservative in medical malpractice cases, consistently favoring the health care provider over the patient. Studies have repeatedly confirmed what lawyers know from experience: malpractice plaintiffs in North Carolina win at trial less than 20 percent of the time. In the rare case a plaintiff obtains a favorable verdict, the amount of theaward reflects the severity of the injuries and the cost of treatment. If the jury’s award is excessive and unsupported by the evidence, the trial judge will throw out the verdict and order a new trial. <snip>

pdf: http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031778027992&path=!localnews&s=1037645509099

html: http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:figkAVdwzA8J:www.ncatl.org/file_depot/0-10000000/0-10000/9208/folder/21427/Burton_Craige_Feb03.pdf+medical+malpractice+statistics+NC&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

He omitted the "practicing their love" line? That stinks!

Gee, * must be really worried about North Carolina.
That's pretty amazing!