Feb
20
Perspective
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1,774.7 deaths per year, according to the U.S. Department of State vs. 45,000 deaths per year, according to the Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance. Graphic by Jake Lewis.
1,774.7 deaths per year, according to the U.S. Department of State vs. 45,000 deaths per year, according to the Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance. Graphic by Jake Lewis.
6 Comments
February 20th, 2010 at 10:58 am
It’s not because the terrorists aren’t trying.
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February 20th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Guess the terrorists could take some lessons from the AMA, our local docs who refuse to see Medicare patients, and our insurance corporations – their effectiveness would improve greatly.
What kind of thinking makes gray haired Medicare and Social Security recipients scream that the government is out to get them and that govt has no business providing medical insurance or trying to regulate lending law, finance, and banking. Duh! Guess their adult children are singing the same song if they’ve not figured out what it would cost them to keep the parents medical bills paid.
I’m pretty sure these are the same people who are all in favor of tort reform that caps damages at around $250,000.00 or less. Or maybe that don’t understand that the tort reform cap would apply to them if a surgeon takes off the wrong limb? Or maybe, they are so self-reliant and personally accountable that they would just figure the mistake was theirs to live with and make no complaint at all.
Is it the stupid pills in the water?
I sort of apologize for the snottiness but it is tiresome to hear the same unknowing and unthinking junk over and over.
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February 20th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
While we’re talking statistics an estimated 195,000 deaths are caused in hospitals by medical malpractice according to a JAMA published 2003 study. I am against tort reform as represented but the huge payout to lawyers is more of a problem in escalating costs, but wait, the government that some would like to have a larger role in regulating has already exempted vaccine manufacturers from injury claims, while these same folks put mercury, formaldehyde, and other harmful substances in vaccines. The FIRE sector (Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate) are the largest donors to the national political class (you know the people who make the laws=government), we can be SURE they will PROTECT us from bankers, insurance cos., not to mention lawyers, the AMA monopoly, etc. Before you talk about stupid pills maybe you should talk to your doctor to see if they are right for you.
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February 20th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Shoot, I don’t need stupid pills! I’m just naturally a slow learner, sort of dense, and mostly oblivious. I’m not being cute, that’s a reasonably honest self-assessment but even I can usually tell when my head is slammed repeatedly.
Oh, while I’m at it… I have a fairly narrow definition of malpractice – meaning – pure incompetence or straight up negligence; just to be clear on that.
I thought that government could and should be a protection for the individual against the hugely powerful. I don’t understand why we would want to distrust and handcuff government but take all restrictions off the wealthy and powerful. I guess I hear people saying they want government to go away and let corporations and the immensely wealthy do as they wish as that will have a better outcome. I would prefer to see elected government more protective of the average man.
Whatever. If “loser pays” continues to gain ground, I don’t think lawsuits for medical malpractice or any other damage will be much of a problem.
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February 20th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
The Bill of Rights was to “handcuff” government but that does’t seem to be working out.When corporations (a legal fiction) are “persons” and money=speech and these issues ARE NOT addressed by government, it demonstrates who government really represents (and it’s not us) I favor a return to revocable corporate charters to keep them operating in the “public interest.” Many of the historical “immensely rich” got that way through government granted monopolies.
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February 20th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
From the report:”The equivalent of 390 jumbo jets full of people are dying each year due to likely preventable, in-hospital medical errors, making this one of the leading killers in the U.S.” The CDC’s #6 cause of death in the year of the report, but according to our government protectors it’s guns,swine flue, terrorism, etc, etc, we should be afraid of, and give up more of our money and liberties to an ever expanding government to fight.
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