How much are attorneys to blame for our health care "crisis"?

[drystan]

Doctors are paying about $100,000+ a year in medical malpractice insurance and order far more tests than are really needed just to protect themselves. Also hospitals, makers of medical equipment and drug companies probably to the same thing.

So I would say the number one cause for the high cost of health care in this country is medical malpractice lawsuits.

[ear]

Not nearly as much as bad medicines and irresponsible doctors are to blame.

For example Florida and Tennessee are two states that don't ask too many questions of their doctors. Needless to say both are popular escape destinations for doctors on the run. Also the Medical Licensing Boards have historically been reluctant to pull the licenses of physicians. If not for "Frivolous Lawsuits" how much longer would Merck be peddling Vioxx? Didn't Pfizer recently get hit with a BILLION dollar fine for peddling drugs for something other than the original APPROVED purpose.

According to this question are we to assume Pfizer didn't know what they were doing? Obviously they did but it didn't matter. Just like Merck and Vioxx.

Here's a novel idea: if people want the "frivolous lawsuits" to go away then perhaps the Medical Licensing boards should start looking at some of those licenses and Florida and Tennessee need to start asking questions. The FDA should not have a political agenda and start doing it's job.

For a frivolous or any kind of lawsuit to be possible there has to be negligence. By not doing it's job and having a political agenda the FDA has cleared the way for abuse. Lax oversight of doctors by the states and the Licensing boards completes the circle.
I love how lawmakers choose the easy way. Make lawsuits illegal but not bad drugs and doctors.