The politics of medicine and insurance. Just who pays and who profits?

For those of you who think that malpractice suit limits against doctors are good for Texas and Texans just take a look at Georgia. A recent case involved a 65-year-old man. Who had previously been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. He had had an operation and chemo and radiation. His family was elated when his tests results revealed he was cancer free. One Thursday night he was admitted to the hospital with chest pains. The intern on duty just figured congestive heart failure and since the man’s regular doctors were taking a long weekend, they started pumping him full of fluids. For your information this is the wrong thing to do. By Sunday the man really was having heart problems due to the excessive fluids. All the doctors read cancer on the medical chart and figured him for a goner because the chances of surviving the type of cancer he HAD were only 4%.  The doctors never read the test results saying he was cancer free. By Tuesday morning when the regular doctors got off their over paid egos and showed up to check the man, the man was in pain. Finally they figured out that the man was suffering from a pulmonary embolism. But before they could find and treat it the man did have a cardiac episode and his blood pressure dropped. A doctor prescribed an intravenous drug, which the Physicians Desk Reference and Manufacturer specifically says, should NOT be given to people with low blood pressure. Luckily it was not administered in his room. The hospital moved him to the cardiac care unit. Unfortunately they also moved the drug, which was against hospital policy but it had been mixed and the doctor said it was too expensive to waste. A nurse following doctor’s orders administered the drug when they got to the cardiac care unit, but the nurse didn’t look at the bag to check what was in the intravenous solution. Another mistake. They couldn’t bring the man back. He fought vainly for his life, with his wife and children looking on. This wasn’t and isn’t just a case of medical malpractice it was a case of negligent homicide. The hospital’s position, it was the family’s fault both the wife and a daughter were nurses they should have done something.  They also said so what the man was going to die anyway. The autopsy revealed the pulmonary embolism and a small spot, which may have been cancer. The hospital says the man’s life is only worth $200,000. The state of Georgia says the pain, suffering and loss by the family isn’t worth anything.  The hospital is getting millions each year from the Federal Government in grants (i.e. read yours and my tax dollars). The doctors involved? Who knows? They will still charge their $250 an hour, live in their big houses, play golf on Wednesday, and contribute to the lobbyists who enable them to live their free wheeling lifestyle.  So who pays? Not the insurance companies look at their profit margins, look at how much their CEO’s make a year, look at how the laws protect their profits, but not your life or the life of your loved ones.