Mexicans don't screw the insurance companies. They screw the hospital or an doctors office. LOL about raising insurance. Are you people brainwashed. Can you think for yourselves. There is no such thing as a frivolous lawsuit. More Bush propoganda. It is almost impossible to sue a doctor. You have to have over whelming evidence to win a law suit against a doctor.
You know what raises insurance though. 1 trillion dollars worth of pills people pop. Why do American's pay more for perscription medication than any other country?
Are you aware that quite often malpractice companies settle for their clients when they are not even in the wrong because somebody else they represent might be. ie Hospital doc screws up after private practice docs admits patient. Patient dies (maybe) due to transporting unstable patient to remote better qualified facility. Attorney representing survivors files suit against all parties. Insurance company rolls over because its cheaper to pay off one time than to defend the 3 out of 4 entitities that did everything right. Sure one might have made a mistake, but the other three certainly didn't. They still have that on their record, and their insurance costs soar.
And... maybe the one party didn't screw up. They just took the option with the best chance of a good result in a bad situation, and the patient died anyway. The insurance company may still decide its cheaper to reach one settlement than to fight four court cases. It happens everyday.
Is that frivolous? Technically probably yes, but try explaining that to a family who just lost a loved one. They just want "payback." Kinda like the family that looses a loved one in a gun crime who then wants to pass more anti gun laws. It doesn't prevent crime, but it makes them feel like they are getting some payback."
Sure its hard to win a lawsuit in court. It should be, but that doesn't even begin to show the tip of the iceberg about the legal and insurance costs of medicine.
I do not "know" what it costs to take a medical malpractice case to court for the defending party, but I have been told for simple things like auto insurance claims it averages about $20K. No expert witnesses. No massive interrogations, and transporting of witnesses and specialists. Just a simple defense agaisnt paying for a bent bumper or not. I'ld bet there is an order of magnitude of difference. I would guess the minimum to go to court to defend against the
simplest medical malpractice claim is well over $100K. The insurance company still has to pay it even if they win. Now take a look and see if they have a chance to counter sue for legal costs. LOL. (And even if they did to collect. ROFL.)
It is not a simple issue. Healthcare costs are admittedly partly driven by greed, but I think you are misunderstanding the greed driving it. I'm not saying many doctors are not greedy. I'm, just saying they are not (and have not been for a very long time) in the position to be the greedy people driving the costs. A senior hospital adminstrator makes a lot more than the docs working there. An insurance company executive makes a lot more than the doctors their company insures. The lawyers make a heck of a lot more off medicine than most individuals working in the proffession.
Here is another thing driving costs directly. A single doctor working in a busy practice may need 6-8 support staff to make it work. A nurse and medical assistant obviously. Somebody to answer the phones, greet people in the waiting room, and get them to fill out forms. Now you need somebody to handle billing, and maybe somebody else to pay bills and manage payroll. How about managing all those medical records and getting insurance approvals and writing refferrals to other doctors when appropriate. Get that many people in an office and you need an office manager. This does not even count actual book keeping and accounting. If its a small practice the doc may find it cheaper to send those services out to an accounting firm, but if they are fairly busy they need atleast a part time book keeper on staff, and they still need an accountant to put it all together at tax time.
Now your office visit needs to pay the salary of:
Nurse
MA
Receptionist
Biller
Payroll, AP, & Misc clerk
Medical Records & Refferal Clerk
Office Manager
Book Keeper (part time)
Doctor if there is anything left
Now you need to make sure you can cover when one of those people is sick, needs to get their kid at school, or just take a vacation day. Cross training will handle some of those things, but realistically you need another person to cover. How about if the doctor wants a day off? They have to make sure another qualified professional is available to cover atleast for emergencies. (and they still ahve to pay all those staffers)
Out of all those people, only the doctor and the nurse actually generate revenue. The others are just there to try and make sure they get paid, and don't go to jail for not keeping up with all the rest of the requirements already mandated by the state and the fed.
Now, figure this in. Their insurance takes take the lions share of the gross revenue. The insurance definitely costs more than the doctor nets themself.
Your 15-30 minute office visit has to pay for: 2.25 to 4.5 man hours of labor, plus overhead, plus insurance. Sure some of that time overlaps so lets just say 2 hours on overage for a 15 minute visit (probably somebody won't get paid at that rate, but). Does the receptionist who has to have sick people breathing on him or her all day deserve to only get minimum wage with no benefits. I wouldn't do that job for more than I make as a contractor. Why would I do it for minimum wage? That's probaly the lowest paid person in the building. Want to throw out a number. Say they get paid $10/hr and they are pretty good at their job. That ten an hour costs about 17/hr. Multiplply that by 9. Ok, lets be fair and assume everybody will work until they drop and never gets sick or needs a day off. Multiple by by 6. If the nurse (has degree), office manager (has degreee usually), MA (certified), Are all willing to work for the same wage as the trained on the job receptionist (that if they are any good is underpaid) then it costs a minimum of $102 to just meet payroll for your 15 minute office visit. That doesn't even count the overhead and insurance costs to keep the doors open. That's not realistic. Even three times that is not realistic. All of the licensed and certified and responsible parties get paid a lot more then $10/hr.
I honestly don't even know how they survive in the business much less make any money. And somehow through all of that the doc still has to make a house payment or rent a home, make a car payment so they can get to the hospital at 3am to see your kid, and pay off their student loans.
They have all the same bills you do including... healthcare.
Yeah, lets make the doctors take less money, and socialize medicine.
