Consumer Law

Doctors Seeing the Light? Nah.

By Andy Hoffman

It is wildly ironic and entertaining who?s been running to the courthouse to file lawsuits lately.  For example, we had to chuckle at this item, about a Nevada pediatrician who is suing an insurance provider, claiming it cheated ?thousands? of doctors out of ?tens of millions of dollars? by failing to pay claims and forcing them into ?one-sided contracts.?

It seems like only yesterday that Nevada doctors were screaming about lawsuits and attorneys, bullying the state into severely capping damages for injured patients, and then being called to task by both the state medical board and Government Accountability Office for fabricating the basis for the entire ?crisis? that led to these brutal laws.

Even juicier, a coalition of emergency doctors from California is suing the state for ?$100 million of unpaid services? from the California?s public health insurance program, Medi-Cal.  Meanwhile, the California Medical Association has blocked all efforts to lessen the cruel impact of that state?s 38-year-old Draconian cap on compensation for patients injured by malpracticing doctors.  Ironically, CMA has long admitted that doctors are fleeing California, with its ?gold standard? cap, because of its low reimbursement rates, a problem that clearly does dictate where physicians practice, unlike a state?s tort system.  

Are these lawsuits important?  Of course.  Are we surprised who?s suing?  No - isn?t it just like them?

Full post as published by ThePopTort on January 29, 2009 (boomark / email).