Aug 27 2009

More on healthcare

Category: Uncategorized — harmonicminer @ 8:51 pm

One Response to “More on healthcare”

  1. JC says:
    August 28th, 2009 7:33 am

    I draw a parallel between liability lawyers and union bosses. Back in the day, there were valid reasons for both: protection against abuses, individual’s rights, etc. For the most part, that reason no longer exists. Are there valid reasons for liability lawyers? Of course there are. But just like unions, the original reasons for there existence have morphed into how can I make the most money? Union bosses are motivated to keep their jobs. How do they do it? Not by protecting workers against a company’s abusive policies, but continuously pushing the company for more and more and more for the union members. More money, more time off, more job protection, etc. These aren’t things critical to a worker’s life (safety is the exception), these are things that allow him to keep his cushy job. THey push so hard and companies too many times give in, that down the road, the company discovers they are no longer competitive because they have a business model and cost structure that is no longer competitive. Liability lawyers are the same. THey are driving doctors and companies away from high risk endeavors. What good does it do society to go back, after the fact, and sue companies that had no idea asbestos was a dangerous material to use? People making those decisions back in the 50s and 60s are no longer with the company. They weren’t negligent, they didn’t know. But lawyers know corporations aren’t going to enter into a lengthy legal battle and have their names and reputations smeared all over the headlines, so in many cases they settle. The lawyers know this and that is the game they play. Scare the corporations, threaten negative publicity, move to a settlement. Same thing with prescription drugs. One of the reasons prices in the U.S. are so high is the liability risk. Too many lawyers looking for ways to make a big score. Somebody tell me I have this wrong.

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