Comments for Protect Consumer Justice

Comment on California Bar Exam pass rates by law school by James Joyce

James Joyce — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:57:44 +0000

Is there an authoritative single source for the pass rates of review courses? Thank you.

Comment on Caps, no caps: the number of medical malpractice suits is down either way by Michael End

Michael End — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:12:37 +0000

Dr. Kirsch,
According to the December 2009 AMA publication “Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the US”, the number of doctors in Iowa increased by over 10% from 2000 to 2007. The article could have included Minnesota as another example of low medical malpractice insurance premiums in a state without any caps on damages. An internist there pays $3,375, a general surgeon pays $11,306, and an OB/GYN pays $20,950. These figures are found in the October 2009 issue of Medical Liability Monitor. The truth is that there is no relationship between caps on damages and the cost of health care.

Comment on Caps, no caps: the number of medical malpractice suits is down either way by Michael Kirsch, M.D.

Michael Kirsch, M.D. — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:28:08 +0000

i wonder if the Iowan docs all left for states with caps, explaining your data.

Comment on And the biggest judgment awarded in 2009 went to… by John Hopkins

John Hopkins — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:04:20 +0000

Excellent post and well said. The statistics are clear. Corporate verdicts against other corporations have regularly rated at very large numbers — even with punitive damages. The largest number of civil lawsuits in the nation (both state and federal courts) are corporations suing other corporations, divorce and estate cases. Personal injury cases iare in the minority, but tort reformers make it a business to make sure they receive the most press.

I have never found a tort reform advocate who could show me reliable statistics that would support their arguments for tort reform or would support the “frivolous” lawsuits they always claim are “rampant”.

Comment on Health insurance companies hang onto their antitrust exemption by Sue Baragona

Sue Baragona — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:20:43 +0000

Just wondering. Is there any way a self-employed individual can file suit against a health insurer for raising premiums to extreme levels? A class action suit? The health insurer we have now has risen their rates yet again. Just curious. Would love to know if it could be done.

Comment on Health insurance companies hang onto their antitrust exemption by Paul Burke - Author Journey Home

Paul Burke - Author Journey Home — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:26:49 +0000

McCarran-Ferguson was originally designed to empower both the federal government and the individual states so that they could act to prevent insurance companies from becoming abusive monopolies.

How ironic that it has instead enabled the health insurance industry to achieve exactly the opposite result because the federal government has chosen not to pass legislation targeting insurance monopolies and the states have, for the most part, shirked their regulatory responsibilities.

States haven’t gone after obvious Health Care Monopolies because their budgets are stretched too thin.

All 50 States need to bring legal action collectively and the Federal Government needs to join the suit.

Allegations of price-fixing, bid-rigging, exclusive sales contracts, local price cutting to freeze out competitors, and the dividing up of markets need to be full explored so we can get rid of our dysfunctional corporate health care system that’s choking the economy to death.

On a macroeconomic scale it would return money to “our” pocketbooks and be more profitable for America. Less money out of our paychecks going to Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelsons friends at Well Point would be a boom for the economy. It would enable an increase in savings and investing as well as spending.

Our money is being horded by the few to the detriment of the overall market place. That money needs to be returned to the tax payers in mass and available to stimulate the economy across a broad sector of markets as a whole versus the gain of a few Senators from Aetna named Lieberman and Nelson and the hysterically wealthy and tone deaf CEO’s they greedily represent.

As conservatives like to say – enforce the laws on the books! It’s time to sue the Insurance companies regardless of the Healthcare Bill that Passes.

Paul Burke
Author-Journey Home

Comment on Spoiled: California food safety legislation dies on the vine by Lee Cohen

Lee Cohen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:28 +0000

People can eat healthy, get plenty of sleep and exercise regularly but can still get sick. The agricultural food supply chain is no different. It is a marvel of technology, efficiency and applied-science but the sheer complexity and size makes it vulnerable. Trees grow outside after all. More regulation is not the answer. Your mischaracterization of the agricultural industry seems uninformed.