Monday, January 25, 2010

Trial Lawyer Lobbying On Health Care Bill

Over at Point of Law, Carter Wood points out that the American Association of Justice spent 1.33M in the 3rd quarter for congressional lobbying, much some of it on the health care bill. In his commentary, Wood says:

The filing provides more evidence that the trial lawyers helped craft language establishing state demonstration projects, preventing serious reform.

Now this is what the health care insurance industry spent: $38 million in 2009. (via WSJ Health Blog). [Update: This is limited to the health insurers, and does not, for instance, include drug makers. Also, note that the lobbying by the attorneys' group includes a wide array of consumer issues.]

One of the constants of the tort "reform" lobby is pointing out what consumer groups spend to preserve rights, and ignoring the vast sums that come out of the Fortune 500 to lobby for various corporate immunities.

Labels: tort reform

posted by Eric Turkewitz
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Comments:

Eric,

You fail to appreciate that, if the health care / insurance industry was granted further immunities from suit, then they would start raining money down on consumers. In fact, they're spending all that lobbying money so that they can spend even more money "giving back" their insurance premiums to all the patients.

Despite that generosity, you have the nerve to stand in the way because you believe people injured by other's negligence are entitled to compensation.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

# posted by  Max Kennerly : January 25, 2010 11:26 AM

 

Yes, yes, I have clearly missed the benevolence of the insurance industry.

On a related note, one day, perhaps, I will write about how liability carriers are all just begging to use the premiums they have collected to settle cases justly and fairly.

# posted by  Eric Turkewitz : January 25, 2010 11:30 AM

 

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