Tort Reform

What Dr. Sandeep Rao did not mention in his op-ed ( "Risk of radiation," April 25) is that American doctors order twice the radiation-intense imaging of the next industrialized nation per capita and that imaging causes 2 percent of all cancer. If we had tort limits like public health services, halving imaging would immediately prevent 1 percent of all cancer. Don't expect insurers to be thrilled about paying for a more expensive, radiation-free MRI in place of every CT. Adequate reimbursement of primary care would give physicians time to explain the risks and benefits of imaging to their patients.

Now your opinion writers are masking their invective. I thought it was a new and fair Dan Rodricks in the first two paragraphs of his recent column ("Razing the JFX, lowering O's expectations," April 3) that reflected the headline. But the remainder of the column was the usual rationalization of President Barack Obama's poor health care law. Healthcare should be improved - coverage for uninsured and an extra year for kids is fine. But we don't need 2,000-plus pages to do that.

This week the Baltimore Business Journal published a list entitled "Highest Paying Occupations in Maryland," ranking Maryland employees by average annual salary in 2008 based upon data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Interestingly, nine of the top 10 positions are held by health care providers: (1) anesthesiologist; (2) obstetrician; (3) orthodontist; (4) oral and maxillofacial surgeon; (5) internist, general; (7) family and general practitioner; (8) dentist, general; (9)

A recent article in The Sun noted Maryland's dismal position as last in the nation in terms of the number of jobs created. Of the words that came to my mind, "shocked" was not one of them. Throughout my 2010 campaign for the office of state comptroller, I warned voters of this exact situation. The policies that have been a mainstay in Annapolis for decades have driven Maryland into a state of economic ruin. (And, just for the record, both Democrats and Republicans are to blame.) Throughout the campaign, I promoted a "Texas model" to spur economic growth here in Maryland.

C ongress is engaged in a battle that will determine the face of American health care for decades. While some in this battle seek to assure that every American has access to affordable quality care, others fight against what they perceive as a "socialist" threat. Although people of good conscience exist on both sides of the debate, there also are partisan opportunists with misguided priorities who view this battle as a tool to advance their careers and the political interests of their party at the expense of injured health care consumers.

CHICAGO - This is a parable about "tort reform," although it begins with a depressing story about the criminal justice system. Nearly 15 years ago, in 1986, four teen-agers were arrested in the rape and murder of a Chicago medical student. They insisted they were innocent, but all four were eventually convicted, and three of them were sentenced to life in prison. The most damning evidence was presented by a Chicago police crime analyst who swore that semen taken from the victim's body could have come from three of the defendants.

Americans for Tort Reform says a new poll shows that 83 percent of respondents "believe the present liability system has problems and should be improved." Count us in that group. But don't count us among those who support the entire package of Republican bills dealing with product liability and civil litigation now being pushed through the House of Representatives.Some items in this package of bills are not reform, they are more like a wrecking ball.There are large problems with frivolous law suits, though hardly ones so severe they justify some of the barriers to a citizen's day in court that House Republicans want to erect.

RECENT news accounts have revealed that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- Washington's largest business lobbying group -- and national Republican Party leaders are about to declare war on trial lawyers.An integral part of the chamber's battle plan is a multimillion-dollar, negative advertising blitz. The GOP leadership plans to launch its own attack. According to a reported Republican source, "We'll unleash an attack on the trial lawyers never seen before."Speaker Newt Gingrich has already informed GOP leaders that attacking trial lawyers is a top priority this election year.

A recent article in The Sun noted Maryland's dismal position as last in the nation in terms of the number of jobs created. Of the words that came to my mind, "shocked" was not one of them. Throughout my 2010 campaign for the office of state comptroller, I warned voters of this exact situation. The policies that have been a mainstay in Annapolis for decades have driven Maryland into a state of economic ruin. (And, just for the record, both Democrats and Republicans are to blame.) Throughout the campaign, I promoted a "Texas model" to spur economic growth here in Maryland.

A task force appointed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to examine changes to the state's medical malpractice system released its final recommendations late yesterday, focusing largely on tort reform and other solutions previously proposed by the governor. The committee suggested lower caps on "pain and suffering" awards received by victims, as well as changes to the way patients' medical costs and lost earnings are calculated and paid out. It also recommends limits on attorney's fees based on a sliding scale in use in several other states.

What Dr. Sandeep Rao did not mention in his op-ed ( "Risk of radiation," April 25) is that American doctors order twice the radiation-intense imaging of the next industrialized nation per capita and that imaging causes 2 percent of all cancer. If we had tort limits like public health services, halving imaging would immediately prevent 1 percent of all cancer. Don't expect insurers to be thrilled about paying for a more expensive, radiation-free MRI in place of every CT. Adequate reimbursement of primary care would give physicians time to explain the risks and benefits of imaging to their patients.

Members of Maryland's congressional delegation endorsed the president's call Tuesday night to work across party lines to improve education, facilitate innovation and reduce the deficit. "Now is the time for both sides and both houses of Congress — Democrats and Republicans — to forge a principled compromise that gets the job done. If we make the hard choices now to rein in our deficits, we can make the investments we need to win the future," Obama said in his State of the Union address before the 112th Congress, with House Speaker John Boehner and Vice President Joe Biden behind him. "He challenged all of us to come together as Americans," said Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Baltimore County Democrat, mentioning how the president opened his speech talking about the need for a bipartisan effort following the shootings in Tucson, which kept Rep. Gabrielle Giffords from attending the speech.

A pattern emerged during yesterday's health care summit between President Barack Obama and members of both parties in Congress. Republicans argued that Democrats have gone badly astray in their efforts to reform the system and should be focusing instead on other things - tort reform, allowing people to buy insurance across state lines, providing incentives for better primary care, and so on. Then the Democrats responded by saying they agree and...

In response to Michael DeCicco's letter "Health bill stagnation is not Republicans' fault" (Readers respond Feb. 13), I beg to differ. If the Democrats could get an up or down vote on the bill in the Senate, the Nebraska and Louisiana deals would not have been made. From the start, the Republican strategy has been to kill any reform any way possible. Remember Sen. Jim DeMint's comment that health care would be President Obama's Waterloo? Or Sen. Judd Gregg's memo to his Republican colleagues on how to stop reform?

America is in need of health care reform. On that fact, virtually all Americans agree. Yet I take issue with the letter "Who do Republicans think they're helping?" (Readers respond, Feb. 11) and the insinuation that Republicans are distorting the facts and against reform in general. Here are the facts: Republicans and Democrats have been calling for reform of the health care system for years. The health care system has gone through many reforms dating back to the 1990s, and reforms continue to this day. The Republican Party has offered a new reform package, and posted it online, which is a far cry from the backroom deals and shady shenanigans the Democrats have used throughout this process.

This week the Baltimore Business Journal published a list entitled "Highest Paying Occupations in Maryland," ranking Maryland employees by average annual salary in 2008 based upon data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Interestingly, nine of the top 10 positions are held by health care providers: (1) anesthesiologist; (2) obstetrician; (3) orthodontist; (4) oral and maxillofacial surgeon; (5) internist, general; (7) family and general practitioner; (8) dentist, general; (9)

Decrying another large increase in malpractice insurance premiums, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. stood last week at a podium set up on the blacktop near the ambulance entrance of a Towson hospital. Fanned out behind him were more than a dozen doctors in crisp white lab coats. Over their shoulders, large red block letters atop the hospital entrance read, "EMERGENCY." There's disagreement, however, about whether another round of premium increases - the state's largest malpractice insurer filed last week for a 41 percent increase for next year, on top of a 28 percent boost this year - constitutes an emergency.

Congress is engaged in a battle that will determine the face of American health care for decades. While some in this battle seek to assure that every American has access to affordable quality care, others fight against what they perceive as a "socialist" threat. Although people of good conscience exist on both sides of the debate, there also are partisan opportunists with misguided priorities who view this battle as a tool to advance their careers and the political interests of their party at the expense of injured health care consumers.