Post by Boomer Chick on Jul 6, 2004 23:45:24 GMT -5
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THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
< daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43772 >
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BUSH & CHENEY MISLEAD ON TORT REFORM
President Bush and Vice President Cheney continue to dishonestly claim that
trial lawyers are to blame for skyrocketing health care costs. President
Bush said Friday that "frivolous lawsuits...run up the cost of medicine" and
that solutions to health care problems were stopped in Congress "because the
trial lawyers are powerful in the Senate."[1] Similarly, Cheney said last
week that "medical liability reform" is the key to "control the cost of
health care."[2] But, according to undisputed government and academic data,
lawsuits have little -- if anything -- to do with health care costs.
According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), costs from
malpractice lawsuits represent less than 2%[3] of the nation's total health
care spending, and the tort reform legislation pushed by President Bush
would reduce health insurance premiums by less than one-half of one
percent.[4] While President Bush has claimed that lawsuits cause "docs to
practice medicine in an expensive way[5] in order to protect themselves in
the courthouse," a study by the Harvard University School of Public Health
"did not find a strong relationship between the threat of litigation and
medical costs." Additionally, a study in the Journal of Health Economics[6]
compared medical costs in states with limits on lawsuits to states without
limits and found only tiny savings - less than three-tenths of one percent.
In all, CBO reported "no statistically significant difference in per capita
health care spending between states with and without limits on malpractice
torts."[7]
The White House's insistence on pushing the trial lawyer myths are designed
to obscure its record in other areas that would seriously reduce health care
costs. For instance, the Bush Administration's recently-passed Medicare bill
specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug
prices from large pharmaceutical companies.[8] Similarly, industry studies
have found that widespread adoption of the President's Health Care Savings
Accounts "could drive up the annual deductible paid by workers."[9]
Sources:
1. Remarks by President Bush on the Economy, PRNewswire.com, 7/02/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43773.
2. "Cheney rallies the faithful at Wheeling bus tour stop,"
Observer-Reporter, 7/04/2004,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43774.
3. "Economic and Budget Issue Brief: Limiting Tort Liability for Medical
Malpractice," Congressional Budget Office, 1/08/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43775.
4. "President Bush's Rhetoric on Medical Malpractice Doesn't Match Reality,"
DPC.Senate.gov, daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43776.
5. Presidential Remarks, WhiteHouse.gov, 1/26/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43777.
6. "President Uses Dubious Statistics on Costs of Malpractice Lawsuits,"
FactCheck.org, 1/29/04, daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43778.
7. Ibid, daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43778.
8. "Bush Admits Drug Card Concerns," Washington Post, 6/15/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43779.
9. "Out of pocket costs may soar," USA Today, 4/25/2004,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43780.
Visit www.misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion. »
===========================================================
Subscribe to the Daily Mislead! Go to www.misleader.org and enter
your e-mail address in the "Receive the Daily Mislead" box in the
top-left corner of the page.
THE DAILY MIS-LEAD
< daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43772 >
===============================
BUSH & CHENEY MISLEAD ON TORT REFORM
President Bush and Vice President Cheney continue to dishonestly claim that
trial lawyers are to blame for skyrocketing health care costs. President
Bush said Friday that "frivolous lawsuits...run up the cost of medicine" and
that solutions to health care problems were stopped in Congress "because the
trial lawyers are powerful in the Senate."[1] Similarly, Cheney said last
week that "medical liability reform" is the key to "control the cost of
health care."[2] But, according to undisputed government and academic data,
lawsuits have little -- if anything -- to do with health care costs.
According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), costs from
malpractice lawsuits represent less than 2%[3] of the nation's total health
care spending, and the tort reform legislation pushed by President Bush
would reduce health insurance premiums by less than one-half of one
percent.[4] While President Bush has claimed that lawsuits cause "docs to
practice medicine in an expensive way[5] in order to protect themselves in
the courthouse," a study by the Harvard University School of Public Health
"did not find a strong relationship between the threat of litigation and
medical costs." Additionally, a study in the Journal of Health Economics[6]
compared medical costs in states with limits on lawsuits to states without
limits and found only tiny savings - less than three-tenths of one percent.
In all, CBO reported "no statistically significant difference in per capita
health care spending between states with and without limits on malpractice
torts."[7]
The White House's insistence on pushing the trial lawyer myths are designed
to obscure its record in other areas that would seriously reduce health care
costs. For instance, the Bush Administration's recently-passed Medicare bill
specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug
prices from large pharmaceutical companies.[8] Similarly, industry studies
have found that widespread adoption of the President's Health Care Savings
Accounts "could drive up the annual deductible paid by workers."[9]
Sources:
1. Remarks by President Bush on the Economy, PRNewswire.com, 7/02/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43773.
2. "Cheney rallies the faithful at Wheeling bus tour stop,"
Observer-Reporter, 7/04/2004,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43774.
3. "Economic and Budget Issue Brief: Limiting Tort Liability for Medical
Malpractice," Congressional Budget Office, 1/08/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43775.
4. "President Bush's Rhetoric on Medical Malpractice Doesn't Match Reality,"
DPC.Senate.gov, daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43776.
5. Presidential Remarks, WhiteHouse.gov, 1/26/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43777.
6. "President Uses Dubious Statistics on Costs of Malpractice Lawsuits,"
FactCheck.org, 1/29/04, daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43778.
7. Ibid, daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43778.
8. "Bush Admits Drug Card Concerns," Washington Post, 6/15/04,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43779.
9. "Out of pocket costs may soar," USA Today, 4/25/2004,
daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1922896&l=43780.
Visit www.misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion. »
===========================================================
Subscribe to the Daily Mislead! Go to www.misleader.org and enter
your e-mail address in the "Receive the Daily Mislead" box in the
top-left corner of the page.