Healthcare Reform or Tort Reform?

[NonSoccerFan]

Mike Papantonio is an absolute joke. He is a complete disgrace to the legal profession all over this country, and he is one of the 99% of lawyers who give the other 1% a bad name. He is the embodiment of the biggest special interest in this country - TRIAL LAWYERS - that provides the largest source of funding to the Democratic Party coffers. Howard Dean was right - the Democrats don't have the courage to bite the hand that feeds by enacting sensible tort reform in all states.

[kipptumor]

Ask the typical right-winger what a reasonable cap is for them losing their eyesight - They will either shut up or be dicks and say "nothing- surgery is a risk". Wow! We all have to carry insurance when we buy a house, drive a car, or buy into health insurance (although denial is rampant), so to hear doctors cry about having to pay high insurance premiums, forgive me, but I think we are ALL familiar with high premiums.

[kipptumor]

Bitching and moaning about tort reform seems to be an effective (if not inane) talking point for the GOP because it sounds sensible, but when you put the actual amount paid out in settlements into perspective, it is as effective as a fly-swatter against a charging rhino. Republicans again, gave the same tired "ideas" to improve health care costs in America: savings accounts and tort reform - both as worthless as the shit-filled, rotting corpse of John Wayne.

[mmantech]

i really dont like these big business right wing tv channels. it came off as they were ganging the trial lawyer.

[bodryn]

There is already tort reform in 43 states. If tort reform worked, health care premiums in all those states would have gone down. Duh?

[bostonstar]

Hey golefttv, you LITERALLY just made the case FOR tort reform by posting this. If you actually listen to the guy arguing against tort reform, he not only contradicts himself but avoids the question at all costs.

[uninvolved]

Yeah, he might have made the case for people who only watch tv and don't read...

The CBO in 2004 found that there was no difference in per capita spending for states with or without caps on damages.

Limiting Tort Liability for Medical Malpractice, Congressional Budget Office, January 8, 2004.

There is an answer to the question.

[MrDonkeysnake]

Anyone who wants blue dogs out of their party might just get their wish.... and what a nightmare that would be for liberals. They'd never pass another bill against a conservative super-majority like that! To win in America, you have to cooperatively build support, not isolate yourself from any dissent. The current bill has very little support... period. If it was popular, it would have been passed. Why not craft a better bill? I can wait 6-12 months for HCR if it won't bankrupt my grandchildren.

[bfg1946]

I get it, everybody else is cheating, making too much money, etc., etc. This guy Mike is not just an idiot, he is a bully who's only interest appears to preserving legal.

[dudeasp]

Typical Lawyer sweating that his million dollar compansation for lawsuits will be cut. Let me ask you this. Have you ever seen a trial lawyer ever save a life? He is using typical scare tactics to save his own ass. Lawyers smell blood and money in the system, and like vultures they swarm. They don't actually care about the patients, if they did they would work for less. Why does this asshole deserve a third of every multimillion dollar lawsuit.

[Textynn]

Go get um Pap!!

[brewersrule1978]

If 1 conservative or moderate judge retires in the next 3 years, he WILL have the Judiciary. Judiciary interprets laws, doesn't pass them or spend money, so that's a thin way of claiming he doesn't have all the power. Gee, 3 out of 4 branches of government, how will he ever get anything done? The Dems are driving the car now and have little to stop them so if this gets worse and not better, it's THEIR prob, not Bush, not Repubs, but theirs. This is Jimmy Carter Part 2 only 100 times worse.

[golefttv]

Hold up...Did you really just claim that there are 4 branches of government? Wow. Just wow. You have officially lost all credibility. Please go back to your coloring books now.

[brewersrule1978]

We're talking about elected parts of government Obama and the Dems control(Judicial, Congress, Senate, and WH). I'm not a moron. I know there's only 3 branches of Executive, Legislative, + Judicial. Being a lib I'm sure you think Judicial makes the laws, right? Nice insults, though. Wouldn't expect more from a lib that uses a complete and total failure like a guy from the bankrupt Air America who can't answer a question 2 supposedly prove his point while failing beyond miserably. Try again.

[brewersrule1978]

Holding things up is not stopping it. You're still denying the fact that Repubs have little to do w/this when there's Democratic Governors, Reps, AND Senators that are all saying this is the wrong way to go. It's a straw man argument to point the finger at Repubs when the Dems have the influence and the numbers to get it done if they really believe in it. 2 Independents and 1 turncoat is a strong wall? Cop out. You can't keep blaming Bush and the Repubs for everything. It's the Dems' show.

[brewersrule1978]

One other thing I point out that ALL liberals are forgetting about this GOP straw man whining: Dems have complete and total control of all 3 gov. branches and can pass this even IF the GOP votes no. It's the Dems' constituents that are telling them not to. It has nothing to do w/GOP hang-ups so stop pointing fingers where there are none to be had and accept the fact that your own party is skittish of spending trillions more in a recession like this. This is Obama's show, plain and simple.

[Textynn]

The democratic party has been infiltrated with GOP members hiding behind the democratic label but we will fix that and soon.

[brewersrule1978]

Blue Dogs have been around for as long as I can remember (you could call JFK one, in fact). They're the reason Reagan won 2 times. You're saying you basically want nothing but socialist leaning progressives in your party or that it's some sort of conspiracy? I'd suggest joining the Socialist, Green, or other party because Blue Dogs will always be around just like "moderate" Repubs, like it or not. I would like 2 do that in the Repubs so no more McCains R around, that's why I lean Libertarian.

[Textynn]

I probably will join the Greens if the Blue dogs keep undermining the Democrats and voting against the Democratic Platform.

[brewersrule1978]

Well, that's saying a lot considering they're a party that loves the moron Cynthia McKinney who gets offended when security asks her for her damned ID at Congressional buildings. Good lucky w/that <1% winning chance.

[brewersrule1978]

Yeah, I love how the maker of this video makes it sound like tort reform makes no sense, yet in his "evidence" here the Left-Leaning Air America moron can't even answer the question of how much tort reform affects health insurance payees in real dollars when asked and instead uses the usual liberal tactic of demonizing "evil big companies" as the problem. Same old, same old. Tort reform's not all that needs 2 change, but it's a far better option than turning anything more over 2 government.

[uninvolved]

The CBO in 2004 found that there was no difference in per capita spending for states with or without caps on damages.

Limiting Tort Liability for Medical Malpractice, Congressional Budget Office, January 8, 2004.

There's your answer.

[sradss1]

Wow! That Mike PapaJackass guy just took a beating there... And on CNBC of all places... Even the liberals are starting to understand the insanity of Obama's Health Care bullshit, and they seem to also understand how badly tort reform is needed in this country... You know when even the libs are starting to have doubts about Obama-care, that the plan must really, REALLY SUCK ASS!!! *LOL*

[uninvolved]

The CBO in 2004 found that there was no difference in per capita spending for states with or without caps on damages.

Limiting Tort Liability for Medical Malpractice, Congressional Budget Office, January 8, 2004.

There is the answer to the question he couldn't answer.

[brewersrule1978]

Uh, here's something a TAD more current from Oct 10, 2009: washingtonpostdotcom/wp-dyn/co­ntent/article/2009/10/09/AR200­9100904271dothtml

$54bil in savings according to this recent study from a liberal source like the Post tells, when added to the fact that Pelosi snuck a provision into her bill stating any states that imposed caps on lawsuits wouldn't get any HC $, tells me this just MAY be a lie from the lawyer-backed Dem party about "no savings" from tort reform.

[uninvolved]

If you could post a better link we might be able to nail down the discrepancy in the numbers. It's my contention that the study your article sites probably uses the bogus Kessler-McClellan study numbers to inflate the savings. The CBO (iirc) tried to replicated the Kessler-McClellan and came up with entirely different numbers. That study has long been discredited. Thanks.

Moreover, I'm not interested in what Pelosi does. I am only interested in credible studies.

[uninvolved]

Also, I meant the Kessler-McClellan has been discredit, not the CBO study that tried to replicate the Kessler-McClellan study. Thanks. Also, the reason I ask for a new link is because I can't get this one to come up. Thanks again.

[PeterOrszagCallMe]

Very weird, she's asking a question that obviously can't be answered. There is no way to study doctors not performing procedures because they think they'll get in trouble--ridiculous.

[imaginepeace63]

Pres Obama voted for Tort reform when he was senator