Comments about ‘Hatch says tort reform could pare health costs’

So, we're going to lower the cost of health-insurance companies, by taking away the ability of patient's to sue them for malpractice?

Wow, that's brilliant.

Sarcasim off.

Hatch and the insurance comanies that pay him are the reason Americans can't afford healthcare.

Because we have less and less coverage, every year and more and more cost we pay.

This will allow the insurance companies to add one more thing.

No consequence to mistakes.

Guess who would pay for those?

You guessed it! Us.

Saving 1/2%? That's amazing! That's like a person making 50,000 a year saving 250 dollars when they annually add about 10,000 to their existing debt.

Limiting malpractice suits, thus lowering the cost of malpractice insurance to doctors does NOT guarantee that the costs to the patients will be reduced. That just means that the cost to the physicians will be less and, just like the station owners in the last gas reduction, physicians may choose to do a little profit taking themselves. That amounts to more cash for the wealthy but nothing to the consumer.

0.5% ???

Tort reform is a cornerstone of whatever GOP / conservative healthcare reform proposals actually gets discussed. Tort reform is one of the first items mentioned.

The "Party of No" is running very thin on ideas. It's clear their strategy is essentially to protect the status quo, no serious changes, and do whatever it can to damage Obama. They've said as much. "We can break this President".

While they posture & protect their corporate masters, voters are taking note of who is serious about fixing problems.

GOP (Greed Over People) Party.

The Actions of Hatch.

He recieved money from the tobacco industry.

He voted against any tobacco regulation eg. (No controls of companies who make products that kill people and destroy Americans Health).

He recieves money from the private insurance and health industry lobbyists who represent Profits over People.

He is for Profits over People.

Not surprised with his suggested action since GW Bush placed a law to protect pharmaceuticals from Vaccination Lawsuits.

Most of the people in the GOP Whitehouse were part of a major pharmaceutical company. The Republican Party is their puppet party.

Hatch is not interested in extending healthcare to others but in limiting Corporate liability.

I am surprised at the economic illiteracy expressed in the above comments. Tort reform is an absolute requirement as we attempt to rein in exploding health care costs. Unfortunately, it will never be considered by the democrats because the tort lawyers have purchased their votes!

Nice to hear some common sense on this board!

This is America, why not have choices -- one price for those willing to waive their right to sue about care, another price for those who won't sue but would seek arbitration, and a third price for those who want to sue (which is basically insurance - Dr messes up they are going to pay for it, sounds like insurance to me).

In return Doctors agree to disclose their education and number of complaints against the. Hospitals have to disclose how may people die in their hospital and of what cause. Plus, Doctors have to disclose the cost of the medical treatement before they treat you. And they have to post the price of basic health treatment -- how much an appendix removal costs, how much 10 stitches cost, how much a basic exam costs. Let the customer shop around. With the knowledge of the doctor's education and experience and the cost, the patient can make an educated decision.

Doctors/hospitals, you want to stop being sued and paying high malpractice insurance, then give us a way to shop your services and give us a choice to opt out.

Severe caps on malpractice judgments are reasonable ONLY if accompanied by similarly massive reductions in the cost of health care. Remember that a huge malpractice judgment needs to cover the LIFETIME health care costs of someone who is going to have to pay the FULL cost of very expensive care that NO health insurer will willingly touch. Anyone who fails to acknowledge this, and chooses instead to concentrate only on the "winning the lottery" appearance of a huge malpractice award, is being disingenuous.

Half a percent is a start. What more can the Republicans offer us?

Wow. I would love to know the background of those who have written. Those against tort reform must either be lawyers/trial attorneys or individuals who, as is unfortunately all too common in our society, believe that anything wrong that happens to them must be someone elses fault and they deserve some free compensation. Absolutely amazing. That is the spirit that kills American enterprise...."I got hurt so it has to be someone's fault and they must pay"
The ignorant comments thus far that suppose this won't help fix health care spending are clearly not knowledgeable about the problem. By far, more money will be saves just due to the decrease in usage of expensive medical tests that simply do not need to be run but are just to protect against 1. Individuals who feel they are entitled to be compensated for life's problems, and 2. the unbelievably unethical trial attorneys who stand to gleen over 1/3 of any settlement, even knowing full well that most of their cases are frivolous.

This is per the Lewin Group, subsidiary of United Health.

Translation: My priorities are with business and their contributions to my financial well being.

We need a way to get rid of incompetent doctors. Taking away responsibility does not improve heath care, it only makes it worse.

What is wrong with Bennet and Hatch? With legislation they could also reduce health care costs if insurance companies were forced to cover their implied service.

And with all the incompetence in doctors and health care facilities they will be given a license to kill their patients with neglect and inhumane treatment. Without a government watch dog or system of malpractice oversight this is taking the last citizens right to competent doctors. If the citizens can't demand justice for malpractice is the criminal justice system going to pick up and prosecute this injustice? This reform is taking the rights of Civil Law away from the american people for those that no other law will protect. If criminal law was applied to malpractice then these civil laws wouldn't be necessary.

This must be why Obama gathered all the doctors to the white house to discuss the issue as a forerunner to the new Obama health care plan to guarantee the medical profession can't be sued under the Obama system.

Tort reform should be to force competence in health care.

Agree. Say No to GOP (Greedy o Politicians) who do nothing that helps the poor and needy. They protect corporations that pay them to look the other way (Corrupt).

Profit over People.

How about fixing the problems that contribute to "Malpractice"? Notably..years ago I read an article where a Medical program lowered their standards for admission to accommodate more minorities..Then, after finding those minorities could not complete the course..They lowered their standards for graduation..Result..more barely qualified Doctors and other practicioners. I, for one, shun those doctors who graduated from a school where standards were reduced.

I am certainly not in favor of this. I completely agree with the first commenter.

The Health industry spent more in 2008 on lobbying than the cost of all their problems combined. Look into the CIA Factbook and you can realy learn a lot. This is just disgusting.

Conservative by the very nature of it's name would mean being against this liberal, legal-bribery system we call lobbying.

Why doesn't Hatch stop this Nuclear Waste crap going on in Utah, WHICH his own church is against. I guess he doesn't care so much about what isn't profitable to himself.

I am a FIRM supporter of free Agency and choice and thus I agree with "My 2 cents" as well. When people talk about socialized healthcare I often think that we should have a social system and a non, that all companies must offer both in some fair form and that my taxes ONLY affect the system I am on.

But greed doesn't allow for fair play. As we heard in conferense that in the last days even the very righteous will be fooled. It's no wonder that very few Utahns use reason & logic.

Aside from mispelling conference, I will add to the agency-option.

Capitalism is the free system with freedom for all. Socialism tricks the low income class (like myself) into thinking that the rich and powerful will be forced to be equal with them and that the low class will finally get the help that they have needed and can't survive without.

Socialism, like consecration and communism has it's merits but every system has one great weakness=greed. Communism is the worst of these as our current tyranny of the minority would flip upside-down. Socialism & capitalism work. But I want 100% control over what I have rightfully earned, I should have it. Socialism doesn't give this. Our current capitalist society doesn't merit it either because rights are being violated and executives are getting whale incomes more than they actually are working for and earning.

Every system needs limits and today we limit the rich the wrong way and the poor the wrong way.

Have a social/capital system where people CHOOSE what they want and can change anytime. Keep the money on the same side and then NOTHING can be called unfair! Neo-conservatives, pff!

Rich - you need to understand that tort reform does not generally concern itself with the "actual damages" part of lawsuits (the part that pays the actual cost of recovery from the mistakes made or the long-term care for those that are injured). It concerns the ridiculous punitive damages that are added on to punish or "send a message" when mistakes are made (such as $10 million because a surgeon left a sponge in a patient after surgery - which caused no long-term damage). The lawyers typically take 40% off the top. That's where the money goes. It is this type of settlement which has caused incredible rises in insurance costs to doctors and hospitals, which they then pass on to patients. I know a doctor who has never been sued that has to pay $155,000 per year in insurance. I know another that no longer will deliver babies because it would add $50,000 per year to his insurance costs. Those who have actual damages and costs because of mistakes are entitled to have those costs taken care of by the doctors, hospitals and insurance companies. No one has suggested otherwise.

Yup
People out there in business can be greedy.
But they can be avoided too.
People in government ARE greedy
But they cannot be avoided.
So, if you are looking for choices
you will find NONE through government