Physician, Insure to Heal Thyself

Physicians exist in a profession that has little scrutiny. The profession refuses to seriously police itself. Compared to most other states, few physicians are disciplined for mistakes in Pennsylvania. We need to shed more light on the medical profession so the real serious mistakes—the ones deserving of law suits—are discovered.

What happens in the alternative is people who believe they have been mistreated by a doctor can only seek redress through suing. Complaining to a medical review board does not help: they act very seldom and only in the most blatant and exposed cases. The system is then troubled when people who have not been harmed by a doctor attempt to take advantage of the legal system by suing frivolously.

The solution to this problem is to have an independent review board of medical and legal experts who are capable of reviewing cases and determining which ones are frivolous. Removing these cases will reduce the costs of litigation.

The problem facing physicians is the escalating costs of their insurance. Part of the problem is driven by the costs of law suits, but that is not the only cause. Insurance companies have been responding to lower profits due to bad market investments by compensating with revenues through higher premiums. Any debate over lawsuits will do nothing to resolve this portion of the difficulty. What is needed is a Consumer Advocate in the Insurance Department. We need someone who understands insurance rates representing consumers who will advocate for you and me and against allowing insurance companies to profit unjustly.

A final solution to the high premiums will result when both the Federal government and state governments act to reduce insurance premiums for physicians.