Opinion
There is a little understood, pernicious ripple effect of high liability premiums
LETTER — Posted Nov. 21, 2005
Regarding "Liability premiums stabilizing, but still painfully high-priced" (Article, Nov. 7): The cost of liability, people believe, is a problem for the doctor to worry about.
However, it has not been adequately publicized that this is not just a problem for the rich doctor but it is a major factor in health care costs, not just care but medication, supplies and equipment, etc. Comparative data from other countries should be publicized. Some job loss is due to health care costs. ERs are used at the last minute for problems that could have been fixed in the office earlier, better and more cheaply. I think the AMA and local societies should devote time to this. I closed my office because I couldn't meet the insurance bill in 1990.
Charles J. Lapp, MD, Sterling Heights, Mich.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/11/21/edlt1121.htm.