Support every individuals right to remain in their homes with diginity and self-respect, and to not be ushered into an institutional setting, in order to save doctors money on their health insurance premiums. (As if they don't make enough already.) Kitzhaber supports this inhumane act, that has been proven to actually INCREASE the costs of medical care. This is the very reason why institutions like Fairview were shut down. Institutions like this promoted rape and abuse of disabled adults and elders.
Lawmakers are counting on the changes saving millions to help balance the budget, and Kitzhaber hopes to eventually expand the new model to government workers.
Proponents say capping awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases would lower the cost of health care because doctors would have lower premiums for liability insurance and would be less inclined to order unnecessary tests to guard against a lawsuit. Opponents say juries should be able to decide how much money a patient deserves to compensate for a doctor's mistake.
Liability limits are a "legitimate issue," said Kitzhaber, who was an emergency-room physician before turning to his political career. But a solution needs to balance competing desires to control costs and to give patients access to justice, he said.
Why is this important?
Kitzhaber wants to change the Oregon Health Plan — the state's version of Medicaid that serves low-income patients — to improve coordination of health care and focus on preventing expensive hospital stays. But defensive medicine has been proven to INCREASE costs of medical care to seniors and people with disabilities.
