Consumer Law

New York Hospitals Doing Harm

By Joe Consumer

It?s hard to reconcile. Doctors live by an oath so well-known that we can all recite it: ?first, do no harm.? Their work through the worst of the pandemic in New York was utterly heroic. Yet when it comes to the activities of leaders and lobbyists who represent the institutions they work for, the opposite is true.

The Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) has historically been one of the most powerful and insidious anti-patient ?tort reform? groups in New York State. Run by Ken Raske, GNYHA wastes an enormous amount of its budget on lobbying, politics and PR efforts, offending nearly everyone except ? ironically - those who do harm. It is the single largest ?hospital and nursing home? contributor to federal candidates in the country, far surpassing any other donor. It?s hold over Governor Andrew Cuomo is legendary, dating back to Cuomo?s first few months in office nearly a decade ago. (More about that here, here, here.)    

It may be no surprise that Raske was behind New York?s broad immunity legislation, snuck into law as part of Cuomo?s budget in the early days of the pandemic. Fortunately, lawmakers finally woke up to this troubling law and recently rolled it back. However, taking no hint whatsoever from their own state, which decided that broad immunity was harmful and immoral, GNYHA has now moved on to the entire country. In fact, it seems that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell specifically invited them to add its revolting agenda to McConnell's national corporate immunity bill. Raske?s fingerprints are apparently all over it. 

Yet let there be no mistake. If New York?s bill was cruel, this national bill is utterly depraved. For example, in the federal bill, any patient suing for malpractice ? including in non-emergency situations ? must prove misconduct so extreme as to resemble the crime of reckless homicide. Even if a patient wins, they have no right to non-economic damages at all.  And there?s more, ensuring that even the most obvious case of medical malpractice won?t go forward for the next five years.

Helping Raske in DC is Albert Pirro.  According to recent reporting,

McConnell?s new legislation reflects the Trump administration?s push for a liability shield at the same time that GNYHA has hired Trump?s former lawyer and prolific GOP fundraiser Albert Pirro Jr. as a Washington lobbyist. 

Pirro is a long-time personal friend of the president ? their relationship began 30 years ago when Trump hired him as a real estate attorney. He is the ex-husband of Fox News? Judge Jeanine Pirro and was once sentenced to 29 months in federal prison for tax offenses....

Pirro has only been filing disclosures as a Washington lobbyist since 2017, when Trump became president. GNYHA ? which is one of only three Pirro lobbying clients in Washington ? has paid Pirro?s firm nearly $2.3 million since hiring him in 2017. 

So, somehow GNYHA found $2.3 to pay a lobbyist, while at the same time pushing legislation to eliminate all non-economic compensation to every child catastrophically-injured by medical malpractice, anywhere in the nation.

Anyone know how to reach Hippocrates?

Full post as published by ThePopTort on September 09, 2020 (boomark / email).