The King's Men Seek Congressional Cover in Healthcare Reform

What will a federal option for health insurance mean to the Plaintiff Attorney Bar? It is clear that the Plaintiff Bar has been squarely behind President Obama, and that support runs deep. But a serious debate is lacking concerning the impact of health-care reform on the ability of plaintiff attorneys to bring suit against the insurance industry, manufacturers of medicines provided to individuals vis-à-vis the federal government, providers of medical treatments paid for by the federal government, and so on. While the Democratic party has traditionally been a friend to Americans who have been injured, the Republican party has provided its alternative, which in addition to the traditional “tax cuts,” endorses a major curtailing of lawsuits against health providers (and also a rallying cry from right-leaning bloggers).  See also Common Sense Health-care Reform to Lower Costs and Increase Acces to Quality at a Price Our Country Can Afford, by  Roy Blunt at www. GOP.Gov.   It is imperative that the Plaintiff Bar be vigilant that compromises made in the efforts to push health-care reform do not provide health manufacturers or health-care professionals the golden opportunity to provide legislative cover for acts of negligence in exchange for support for the reform that this country so desperately needs. This August congressional break provides an opportunity for the Plaintiff Bar to carefully see what has been proposed so far; to contact allies in the House and Senate, and to follow up a successful presidential election with a health-care bill that ensures Americans the right to hold industry accountable for its acts of negligence. This right is as fundamental as access to good health-care, and the two complimentary rights need to be preserved.