Several times a week the Democratic National Committee sends e-mail messages and faxes to so-called “opinion makers” across the country. I know. I receive them. The problem here isn’t that the Democratic Party splatters these talking points across the landscape – the problem is that some “opinion makers” seem to re-write them just a tad and then publish them as their own opinions.
Now this just must be the explanation for Monday’s editorial in the leftist Atlanta Constitution; an editorial most likely penned by editorial boss Cynthia Tucker.
Here is just some of the wording from this frightening piece:
->Bush is going to have “hell to pay” when he gets back to Washington
->The House-passed Patient’s Bill of Rights doesn’t give the American people what they “vehemently want”.
->Georgia Republican Congressman Charlie Norwood has “caved on principles”.
->The Patient’s Bill of Rights is “weakened”.
OK – it’s clear now that we’re talking about the so-called “Patient’s Bill of Rights” here; or, as it should be know, The Trial Lawyer’s Full Employment Act of 2001.”
What are the leftists howling about? They’re howling about the one solitary change that was made in the Patient’s Bill of Rights by the Republican House. That change was to limit lawsuit punitive damage awards at $1,500,000. The Democrats wanted $5,000,000.
That’s it, folks. That’s all. This is what the Constitution editorial writers feel the American people “vehemently want” --- the right to sue for $5,000,000 in punitive damages. This is why George W. Bush is going to have “hell to pay” when he gets back to Washington. This is what has so “weakened” the Patient’s Bill of Rights.
Will patients still get all of the other protections the Democrats wanted in the Patient’s Bill of Rights? Yes, they will. Every single one of them. What have the patients lost? $3.5 million in punitive damages. That’s it.
->Can a patient still sue for medical malpractice? Yes.
->Can a patient still sue an HMO? Yes.
->Can a patient still sue an employer? Yes.
->Can a patient still recover fully for any actual, monetary damages resulting form medical malpractice? Yes.
->Can a patient still recover for pain and suffering resulting from medical malpractice? Yes.
->And --- one more question. Were the people of this country “vehemently” demanding the right to sue for $5,000,000 in punitive damages? No.
Why are Democrats and their fellow-travelers on the Constitution editorial board so upset? Why are they using Armageddon phrases like “hell to pay” and “vehemently” in referring to this bill? Well, because the truth of the matter is that the bill was designed not so much to give patients any additional health care “rights” as it was to promote the prime Democratic objective of nationalizing American health care.
The goal was chaos. The tool to accomplish that goal was trial lawyers. All the Democrats had to do was to put a big enough piece of cheese in the trap. Five million dollars ought to do it. Democrats know that this potential reward will be enough to send trial lawyers scouring the country looking for patients with even the slightest medical gripe against large HMOs and employers. Get a good venue in some rural country court – line up your defendants – and you’re off to the great legal casino!
The HMO’s risk assessment teams would see the approaching threat and would immediately increase fees to cover the added insurance costs.
Employers would see the trial lawyers gearing up for their grand treasure hung and would take the only defensive measure they could. They would just drop health care coverage for their employees. Pay would be increased so the employers could go out there and get their own coverage. Democrats saw this coming, though, and made sure to defeat a provision that would have allowed private individuals to deduct the cost of health insurance on their income tax.
The goal is clear. Make it more difficult for HMOs to provide affordable health care. Make it more difficult for employers to continue health benefits. Make it more difficult for individuals to buy their own health insurance.
The result? Millions of people demanding that their elected representatives do something! The cure? That Democratic dream of national health insurance.
George W. Bush may have delayed the Democrat’s ultimate dream of American socialized medicine. With the help of people like Cynthia Tucker and the editorial board of The Atlanta Constitution – the Democrats will ultimately prevail.
Now this just must be the explanation for Monday’s editorial in the leftist Atlanta Constitution; an editorial most likely penned by editorial boss Cynthia Tucker.
Here is just some of the wording from this frightening piece:
->Bush is going to have “hell to pay” when he gets back to Washington
->The House-passed Patient’s Bill of Rights doesn’t give the American people what they “vehemently want”.
->Georgia Republican Congressman Charlie Norwood has “caved on principles”.
->The Patient’s Bill of Rights is “weakened”.
OK – it’s clear now that we’re talking about the so-called “Patient’s Bill of Rights” here; or, as it should be know, The Trial Lawyer’s Full Employment Act of 2001.”
What are the leftists howling about? They’re howling about the one solitary change that was made in the Patient’s Bill of Rights by the Republican House. That change was to limit lawsuit punitive damage awards at $1,500,000. The Democrats wanted $5,000,000.
That’s it, folks. That’s all. This is what the Constitution editorial writers feel the American people “vehemently want” --- the right to sue for $5,000,000 in punitive damages. This is why George W. Bush is going to have “hell to pay” when he gets back to Washington. This is what has so “weakened” the Patient’s Bill of Rights.
Will patients still get all of the other protections the Democrats wanted in the Patient’s Bill of Rights? Yes, they will. Every single one of them. What have the patients lost? $3.5 million in punitive damages. That’s it.
->Can a patient still sue for medical malpractice? Yes.
->Can a patient still sue an HMO? Yes.
->Can a patient still sue an employer? Yes.
->Can a patient still recover fully for any actual, monetary damages resulting form medical malpractice? Yes.
->Can a patient still recover for pain and suffering resulting from medical malpractice? Yes.
->And --- one more question. Were the people of this country “vehemently” demanding the right to sue for $5,000,000 in punitive damages? No.
Why are Democrats and their fellow-travelers on the Constitution editorial board so upset? Why are they using Armageddon phrases like “hell to pay” and “vehemently” in referring to this bill? Well, because the truth of the matter is that the bill was designed not so much to give patients any additional health care “rights” as it was to promote the prime Democratic objective of nationalizing American health care.
The goal was chaos. The tool to accomplish that goal was trial lawyers. All the Democrats had to do was to put a big enough piece of cheese in the trap. Five million dollars ought to do it. Democrats know that this potential reward will be enough to send trial lawyers scouring the country looking for patients with even the slightest medical gripe against large HMOs and employers. Get a good venue in some rural country court – line up your defendants – and you’re off to the great legal casino!
The HMO’s risk assessment teams would see the approaching threat and would immediately increase fees to cover the added insurance costs.
Employers would see the trial lawyers gearing up for their grand treasure hung and would take the only defensive measure they could. They would just drop health care coverage for their employees. Pay would be increased so the employers could go out there and get their own coverage. Democrats saw this coming, though, and made sure to defeat a provision that would have allowed private individuals to deduct the cost of health insurance on their income tax.
The goal is clear. Make it more difficult for HMOs to provide affordable health care. Make it more difficult for employers to continue health benefits. Make it more difficult for individuals to buy their own health insurance.
The result? Millions of people demanding that their elected representatives do something! The cure? That Democratic dream of national health insurance.
George W. Bush may have delayed the Democrat’s ultimate dream of American socialized medicine. With the help of people like Cynthia Tucker and the editorial board of The Atlanta Constitution – the Democrats will ultimately prevail.
