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The Business of Health Care Report
Today, I'd like to discuss how
Texans can enact real health care reform by voting in the constitutional amendment
election this Saturday. Voting yes on Proposition 12
amends the state's constitution to comply with the medical malpractice reform passed
by the Texas legislature this spring. Passage of Proposition 12 means that noneconomic
medical damages - better known as pain and suffering - would be capped at $250,000
for physicians and $250,000 for hospitals, nursing homes and other health care
facilities. The proposition does not apply to damages covering medical expenses and
lost income. Juries and judges make those decisions. Doctors are especially passionate
about passage of Proposition 12. Maybe you've seen the "Save Your Doctor" bumper
stickers. Many Texas physicians are paying three to five times more for malpractice
insurance than they did five years ago. Practices are closing. Some physicians are
retiring early or limiting acceptance of new patients. As a result, some areas of
Texas have no doctor coverage at all or are missing critical specialties. The bottom line is that multimillion
dollar judgments in malpractice trials and frivolous lawsuits have brought Texas to
the brink of a health care crisis. Fortunately, help is on the horizon.
Your elected officials in Austin made medical malpractice reform the law, and according
to a new poll, the majority of Texans support Proposition 12. Now, it's up to the voters. Without
their help, hard-won tort reform will be undermined by drawn-out legal challenges.
Personal injury trial lawyers, in fact, are pouring millions of dollars into an advertising
campaign to make sure the amendment fails - so the law can be challenged in court. Protect access to health care and
enact real health care reform. Vote yes on Proposition 12 this Saturday and put some
common sense back into Texas health care litigation. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO
Doug Hawthorne
with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio 1080 KRLD.
©
2003 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 