Consumer Law

Medical Malpractice: Interesting Responses to Obama?s Offer to ?Bargain?

By Andy Hoffman

Yesterday, we told you that President Obama might support bargaining away the rights of injured patients to gain right-wing support for his national health plan.  We were a little fearful that an AMA imprimatur would give this plan some juice, but we?re feeling a little better today, we must say.

First of all, the disingenuous and hypocritical AMA booed the president when he would not support ?caps? or limits on patient compensation.  Then, for all the political mileage he hoped to get, some of the more analytical press reacted pretty cynically.  Politico said, ?Obama?s rhetoric on medical liability was so vague and innocuous that the trial lawyers association ? major backers of the Democratic party ? issued only a tepid statement in response.?

Bloomberg called the whole issue a ?red herring? because everyone knows limiting patients? rights won?t bring down costs.

Conservatives in Congress and right wing press didn?t like it either, of course, because he didn?t go far enough to support wiping out patients? rights.  So we?re wondering, what?s the point of his wiping them out at all?

Full post as published by ThePopTort on June 16, 2009 (boomark / email).