One SIMPLE way to lower health insurance premiums...according to physicians!

[healthmyths]

Lower the number of claims and amount of claims paid by insurance companies and insurance companies are forced by state insurance laws to lower their premiums.
It is a fact the 1946 Tort Claims Act lowers defensive medicine claims which would lower premiums.
In the below physicians under Federal contract practiced half as much defensive medicine as they know they can't be sued.
Don't be defenders of lawyers, the group causing "defensive medicine". Just as Obamacare taxes tanning salons 10% as tanning causes cancer, tax lawyers as they cause $1 trillion a year in waste!

 

[Mac1958]

Lower the number of claims and amount of claims paid by insurance companies and insurance companies are forced by state insurance laws to lower their premiums.
It is a fact the 1946 Tort Claims Act lowers defensive medicine claims which would lower premiums.
In the below physicians under Federal contract practiced half as much defensive medicine as they know they can't be sued.
Don't be defenders of lawyers, the group causing "defensive medicine". Just as Obamacare taxes tanning salons 10% as tanning causes cancer, tax lawyers as they cause $1 trillion a year in waste!
View attachment 139335

Yes, and we'll never address that cost without tort reform.
.

 

[Freewill]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

 

[healthmyths]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

 

[Timmy]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY?

The premis doesn't make sense

 

[Freewill]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

I can understand both sides living in the same space. When on the micro level doctors are asked what is THEIR biggest cost of course insurance is the number one. But why? The reason is simple, the same reason that if you have a lot of accidents your auto insurance is high. I know of not one person who has sued a doctor for malpractice even though I know for a fact that there are doctors who committed malpractice.

On the macro side, even with the doctor's bitching, law suits, as I provided the evidence, only accounts for 3 percent of the cost of HC.

So the solution is what? Let doctors commit malpractice and just say, sorry?

 

[Mac1958]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY? The premis doesn't make sense

The point is that providers often run tests they doubt are necessary, just in case they are sued.
.

 

[Auld Phart]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY?

The premis doesn't make sense

Like sex changes for military and inmates?

 

[Freewill]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY? The premis doesn't make sense

The point is that providers often run tests they doubt are necessary, just in case they are sued.
.

The only reason they would run a test is if they think they may be wrong. If not then why not order an MRI each year?

 

[Mac1958]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY? The premis doesn't make sense

The point is that providers often run tests they doubt are necessary, just in case they are sued.

The only reason they would run a test is if they think they may be wrong. If not then why not order an MRI each year?

No, they're running the test to cover their ass in case they're sued. An insurance company isn't going to approve tests outside a specific diagnostic event, so the testing has to be done in context. The insurance company, for that matter, doesn't want to be sued for turning down that test either.

Would an unscrupulous doc order an annual MRI on someone who's paying out of pocket? I guess that's possible, but highly unusual and not part of the problem.
.

 

[rightwinger]

States that have enacted tort reform have not seen a substantial drop in premiums

 

[fncceo]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY?

If a 101-year-old granny dies of COPD from 80 years of smoking ... I guarantee the hospital will be sued for not doing enough to keep her alive. Such is the world in which we live. Every medical decision is a potential lawsuit.

Lawyers take these nuisance suits on contingency so it costs the families nothing to try to get a settlement from the hospital.

 

[healthmyths]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

I can understand both sides living in the same space. When on the micro level doctors are asked what is THEIR biggest cost of course insurance is the number one. But why? The reason is simple, the same reason that if you have a lot of accidents your auto insurance is high. I know of not one person who has sued a doctor for malpractice even though I know for a fact that there are doctors who committed malpractice.

On the macro side, even with the doctor's bitching, law suits, as I provided the evidence, only accounts for 3 percent of the cost of HC.

So the solution is what? Let doctors commit malpractice and just say, sorry?

I"m sorry but YOU MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY!!! It is NOT the cost of medical malpractice INSURANCE!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE you are ignoring the gigantic ISSUE.
Medical malpractice insurance is minuscule! The issue to PREVENT being sued, physicians practice defensive medicine to the tune of over $1 TRILLION a year!
This is sending people for duplicate tests. Referring specialists. Everything to make sure that if there EVER was a problem the physician has his butt covered.
BUT that's the problem! YOU AND I paying for it and the ONLY winners are the lawyers!
AGAIN read the page and NOTE 1946 Tort Claims Act says physicians under federal contract can't be sued!
TORT REFORM!!! Is the answer. There are many ways of doing it to protect the public the wonton expenses of $1 trillion a year in unnecessary tests,etc.. WRONG!

 

[Freewill]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

I can understand both sides living in the same space. When on the micro level doctors are asked what is THEIR biggest cost of course insurance is the number one. But why? The reason is simple, the same reason that if you have a lot of accidents your auto insurance is high. I know of not one person who has sued a doctor for malpractice even though I know for a fact that there are doctors who committed malpractice.

On the macro side, even with the doctor's bitching, law suits, as I provided the evidence, only accounts for 3 percent of the cost of HC.

So the solution is what? Let doctors commit malpractice and just say, sorry?

I"m sorry but YOU MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY!!! It is NOT the cost of medical malpractice INSURANCE!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE you are ignoring the gigantic ISSUE.
Medical malpractice insurance is minuscule! The issue to PREVENT being sued, physicians practice defensive medicine to the tune of over $1 TRILLION a year!
This is sending people for duplicate tests. Referring specialists. Everything to make sure that if there EVER was a problem the physician has his butt covered.
BUT that's the problem! YOU AND I paying for it and the ONLY winners are the lawyers!
AGAIN read the page and NOTE 1946 Tort Claims Act says physicians under federal contract can't be sued!
TORT REFORM!!! Is the answer. There are many ways of doing it to protect the public the wonton expenses of $1 trillion a year in unnecessary tests,etc.. WRONG!

Again, although 3 percent isn't chump change it is still only 3 percent of the total cost. I agree that 80 percent of the 3 percent is due to defensive medicine. Although I have a hard time believing it is really that much. I think the doctors profit from what they call defensive medicine.

The total cost of medical malpractice-related costs to the health care system, including defensive medicine, is about $55.6 billion per year, or about 2.4 percent of annual health care spending. Defensive medicine is about 80 percent of that total, the researchers found.

Costs Of Defensive Medicine May Be Overstated

 

[healthmyths]

And remember folks... you are all so against health insurance companies and I"M NOT! But not in THIS case.
The insurance companies pay the "defensive medicine" claims for one reason:
They can justify raising premiums. See again most people aren't aware but Obamacare played right into insurance companies hands!
They forced insurance companies to pay 85% of their premiums in claims! What better way to raise premiums then to cut down on profits!
Before Obamacare the average insurance company paid out about 80% of their premiums in claims.
Medical Loss Ratio. In the late 1990s, loss ratios for health insurance (known as the medical loss ratio, or MLR) ranged from 60% to 110% (40% profits to 10% losses). As of 2007, the average US medical loss ratio for private insurers was 81% (a 19% profit and expense ratio).
Loss ratio - Wikipedia
Loss ratio - Wikipedia
Now the liberal Wikipedia puts "(19% profit and expenses ratio)... well once again ignorance even on the part of Wikipedia in biasing the information.
After paying out 81% in claims and paying out 16% in operating expenses the average insurance company net profit was for
Operating Margin Ranking for 2Q 2017 Healthcare Sector Profitability by quarter, Gross, Operating and Net Margin from 2 Q 2017
Pre-Tax Margin 3.29 %
Net margin 2.88%

NOW here for many of you is an really unknown and hardly discussed issue!
That insurance company MUST make a profit! Woe... bad bad profit!
Because if they don't guess what? The states they sell in won't allow them to sell if they aren't making a profit!
It's called: Statutory reserves state are regulated reserve requirements. Insurance companies must hold a portion of their assets as either cash or marketable investments. Statutory reserves are the amount of liquid assets that firms must hold in order to remain solvent and attain partial protection against a substantial investment loss, and holding reserves reduces the risk of insurance.
Statutory Reserves
So how do the get reserves?? AGAIN those evil evil profits!!!

 

[Freewill]

How can you be held liable for NOT doing somthing that is medically UNNECESSARY?

If a 101-year-old granny dies of COPD from 80 years of smoking ... I guarantee the hospital will be sued for not doing enough to keep her alive. Such is the world in which we live. Every medical decision is a potential lawsuit.

Lawyers take these nuisance suits on contingency so it costs the families nothing to try to get a settlement from the hospital.

Do you know of anyone sued under such circumstances?

 

[healthmyths]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

I can understand both sides living in the same space. When on the micro level doctors are asked what is THEIR biggest cost of course insurance is the number one. But why? The reason is simple, the same reason that if you have a lot of accidents your auto insurance is high. I know of not one person who has sued a doctor for malpractice even though I know for a fact that there are doctors who committed malpractice.

On the macro side, even with the doctor's bitching, law suits, as I provided the evidence, only accounts for 3 percent of the cost of HC.

So the solution is what? Let doctors commit malpractice and just say, sorry?

I"m sorry but YOU MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY!!! It is NOT the cost of medical malpractice INSURANCE!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE you are ignoring the gigantic ISSUE.
Medical malpractice insurance is minuscule! The issue to PREVENT being sued, physicians practice defensive medicine to the tune of over $1 TRILLION a year!
This is sending people for duplicate tests. Referring specialists. Everything to make sure that if there EVER was a problem the physician has his butt covered.
BUT that's the problem! YOU AND I paying for it and the ONLY winners are the lawyers!
AGAIN read the page and NOTE 1946 Tort Claims Act says physicians under federal contract can't be sued!
TORT REFORM!!! Is the answer. There are many ways of doing it to protect the public the wonton expenses of $1 trillion a year in unnecessary tests,etc.. WRONG!

Again, although 3 percent isn't chump change it is still only 3 percent of the total cost. I agree that 80 percent of the 3 percent is due to defensive medicine. Although I have a hard time believing it is really that much. I think the doctors profit from what they call defensive medicine.

The total cost of medical malpractice-related costs to the health care system, including defensive medicine, is about $55.6 billion per year, or about 2.4 percent of annual health care spending. Defensive medicine is about 80 percent of that total, the researchers found.

Costs Of Defensive Medicine May Be Overstated

And who did they talk to physicians who practice defensive medicine and state they believe 34% of health care costs are due to defensive medicine?

For example I looked at your link. It linked to this study:

Still, fixing the system won't be easy. A second study, whose lead author is William Thomas of the University of South Maine, found that while the practice of defensive medicine is widespread by doctors, "the incremental cost associated with this is very small. We found it to be less than one percent of the total cost managed by these physicians." Thus, savings to be gleaned from tort reform would be lower still. The study found the savings associated with a 10 percent reduction in medical malpractice premiums would be 0.132 percent.Low Costs Of Defensive Medicine, Small Savings From Tort Reform
AGAIN they MISSED the point! It is NOT medical malpractice PREMIUMS! GEEZ.

And the other study your link provided:
We evaluated physicians’ perceptions about malpractice claims in states where more objective indicators of malpractice risk, such as malpractice premiums, varied considerably. We found high levels of malpractice concern among both generalists and specialists in states where objective measures of malpractice risk were low.
Physicians’ Fears Of Malpractice Lawsuits Are Not Assuaged By Tort Reforms
AGAIN they MISSED the point! It is NOT medical malpractice PREMIUMS! GEEZ.

IT IS NOT the cost of malpractice insurance that causes the $1 trillion! UNDERSTAND???
It is the practice of duplicate tests. Specials referrals. Covering their butts because they don't want to be sued!!!
GEEZ is it THAT complicated?? 90% of physicians interviewed believe 34% of all health care costs are wasted on these defensive medicine practices!
PLEASE no more discussion on premiums! Has nothing to do with it!

 

[Freewill]

Unless someone posts in opposition it is apparent that tort reform at best would only reduce the cost about 3 percent. That is less then the take from health care insurance.

I have never witnessed my doctor practicing defensive medicine. I am not even sure what it means. Does it mean that the doctor is not really sure of what is wrong with the person and thus orders tests to prove themselves right?

Besides, I think a lot of testing is ordered by those who own the testing machines.

New study shows that the savings from 'tort reform' are mythical

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

I can understand both sides living in the same space. When on the micro level doctors are asked what is THEIR biggest cost of course insurance is the number one. But why? The reason is simple, the same reason that if you have a lot of accidents your auto insurance is high. I know of not one person who has sued a doctor for malpractice even though I know for a fact that there are doctors who committed malpractice.

On the macro side, even with the doctor's bitching, law suits, as I provided the evidence, only accounts for 3 percent of the cost of HC.

So the solution is what? Let doctors commit malpractice and just say, sorry?

I"m sorry but YOU MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY!!! It is NOT the cost of medical malpractice INSURANCE!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE you are ignoring the gigantic ISSUE.
Medical malpractice insurance is minuscule! The issue to PREVENT being sued, physicians practice defensive medicine to the tune of over $1 TRILLION a year!
This is sending people for duplicate tests. Referring specialists. Everything to make sure that if there EVER was a problem the physician has his butt covered.
BUT that's the problem! YOU AND I paying for it and the ONLY winners are the lawyers!
AGAIN read the page and NOTE 1946 Tort Claims Act says physicians under federal contract can't be sued!
TORT REFORM!!! Is the answer. There are many ways of doing it to protect the public the wonton expenses of $1 trillion a year in unnecessary tests,etc.. WRONG!

Again, although 3 percent isn't chump change it is still only 3 percent of the total cost. I agree that 80 percent of the 3 percent is due to defensive medicine. Although I have a hard time believing it is really that much. I think the doctors profit from what they call defensive medicine.

The total cost of medical malpractice-related costs to the health care system, including defensive medicine, is about $55.6 billion per year, or about 2.4 percent of annual health care spending. Defensive medicine is about 80 percent of that total, the researchers found.

Costs Of Defensive Medicine May Be Overstated

And who did they talk to physicians who practice defensive medicine and state they believe 34% of health care costs are due to defensive medicine?

For example I looked at your link. It linked to this study:

Still, fixing the system won't be easy. A second study, whose lead author is William Thomas of the University of South Maine, found that while the practice of defensive medicine is widespread by doctors, "the incremental cost associated with this is very small. We found it to be less than one percent of the total cost managed by these physicians." Thus, savings to be gleaned from tort reform would be lower still. The study found the savings associated with a 10 percent reduction in medical malpractice premiums would be 0.132 percent.Low Costs Of Defensive Medicine, Small Savings From Tort Reform
AGAIN they MISSED the point! It is NOT medical malpractice PREMIUMS! GEEZ.

And the other study your link provided:
We evaluated physicians’ perceptions about malpractice claims in states where more objective indicators of malpractice risk, such as malpractice premiums, varied considerably. We found high levels of malpractice concern among both generalists and specialists in states where objective measures of malpractice risk were low.
Physicians’ Fears Of Malpractice Lawsuits Are Not Assuaged By Tort Reforms
AGAIN they MISSED the point! It is NOT medical malpractice PREMIUMS! GEEZ.

IT IS NOT the cost of malpractice insurance that causes the $1 trillion! UNDERSTAND???
It is the practice of duplicate tests. Specials referrals. Covering their butts because they don't want to be sued!!!
GEEZ is it THAT complicated?? 90% of physicians interviewed believe 34% of all health care costs are wasted on these defensive medicine practices!
PLEASE no more discussion on premiums! Has nothing to do with it!

Can I safely presume you go to the doctor from time to time? If so can you tell me how many unnecessary defensive tests have been performed on you? For myself that number is zero. If it were as high as your article states, 34percent, I would think one of us would have been subject to the practice.

 

[healthmyths]

So you think the above mentioned physicians are liars?
Why do you think only 48% of physicians surveyed that were federally contracted reported practicing defensive medicine WHILE over 90% non-federal physicians DID?
And obviously you never heard of this:
Stark Law is a set of United States federal laws that prohibit physician self-referral, specifically a referral by a physician of a Medicare or Medicaid patient to an entity providing designated health services ("DHS") if the physician (or an immediate family member) has a financial relationship with that entity.
Stark Law - Wikipedia

And again you "think a lot of testing".... subjective. NOT factual!
I've provided a study of thousands of doctors who consider "defensive medicine" practices out of fear of lawsuits the PRIMARY PROBLEM DRIVING HEALTHCARE COSTS!
But you and millions like you seem to be defending lawyers!
You go to the doctor because he knows how to diagnose and prescribe a solution.
YET you ignore these same doctors' factual experiences that they practice "defensive medicine"! WHY are you ignoring their experiences?

I can understand both sides living in the same space. When on the micro level doctors are asked what is THEIR biggest cost of course insurance is the number one. But why? The reason is simple, the same reason that if you have a lot of accidents your auto insurance is high. I know of not one person who has sued a doctor for malpractice even though I know for a fact that there are doctors who committed malpractice.

On the macro side, even with the doctor's bitching, law suits, as I provided the evidence, only accounts for 3 percent of the cost of HC.

So the solution is what? Let doctors commit malpractice and just say, sorry?

I"m sorry but YOU MISSED THE POINT ENTIRELY!!! It is NOT the cost of medical malpractice INSURANCE!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE you are ignoring the gigantic ISSUE.
Medical malpractice insurance is minuscule! The issue to PREVENT being sued, physicians practice defensive medicine to the tune of over $1 TRILLION a year!
This is sending people for duplicate tests. Referring specialists. Everything to make sure that if there EVER was a problem the physician has his butt covered.
BUT that's the problem! YOU AND I paying for it and the ONLY winners are the lawyers!
AGAIN read the page and NOTE 1946 Tort Claims Act says physicians under federal contract can't be sued!
TORT REFORM!!! Is the answer. There are many ways of doing it to protect the public the wonton expenses of $1 trillion a year in unnecessary tests,etc.. WRONG!

Again, although 3 percent isn't chump change it is still only 3 percent of the total cost. I agree that 80 percent of the 3 percent is due to defensive medicine. Although I have a hard time believing it is really that much. I think the doctors profit from what they call defensive medicine.

The total cost of medical malpractice-related costs to the health care system, including defensive medicine, is about $55.6 billion per year, or about 2.4 percent of annual health care spending. Defensive medicine is about 80 percent of that total, the researchers found.

Costs Of Defensive Medicine May Be Overstated

And who did they talk to physicians who practice defensive medicine and state they believe 34% of health care costs are due to defensive medicine?

For example I looked at your link. It linked to this study:

Still, fixing the system won't be easy. A second study, whose lead author is William Thomas of the University of South Maine, found that while the practice of defensive medicine is widespread by doctors, "the incremental cost associated with this is very small. We found it to be less than one percent of the total cost managed by these physicians." Thus, savings to be gleaned from tort reform would be lower still. The study found the savings associated with a 10 percent reduction in medical malpractice premiums would be 0.132 percent.Low Costs Of Defensive Medicine, Small Savings From Tort Reform
AGAIN they MISSED the point! It is NOT medical malpractice PREMIUMS! GEEZ.

And the other study your link provided:
We evaluated physicians’ perceptions about malpractice claims in states where more objective indicators of malpractice risk, such as malpractice premiums, varied considerably. We found high levels of malpractice concern among both generalists and specialists in states where objective measures of malpractice risk were low.
Physicians’ Fears Of Malpractice Lawsuits Are Not Assuaged By Tort Reforms
AGAIN they MISSED the point! It is NOT medical malpractice PREMIUMS! GEEZ.

IT IS NOT the cost of malpractice insurance that causes the $1 trillion! UNDERSTAND???
It is the practice of duplicate tests. Specials referrals. Covering their butts because they don't want to be sued!!!
GEEZ is it THAT complicated?? 90% of physicians interviewed believe 34% of all health care costs are wasted on these defensive medicine practices!
PLEASE no more discussion on premiums! Has nothing to do with it!

Can I safely presume you go to the doctor from time to time? If so can you tell me how many unnecessary defensive tests have been performed on you? For myself that number is zero. If it were as high as your article states, 34percent, I would think one of us would have been subject to the practice.

HEY WAKE UP!!!
It is not 34% of the time...i.e. not 1 out of 3 patients have duplicate tests! It is 34% of the $3 trillion or $1 trillion spent on duplicate tests, etc. Understand?
Again when will people like you learn your anecdotal one off stories are just that! Look at the data!