A lot of OB/GYNs are leaving the practice because they're getting sued out of existence, pure and simple. I can't put it any more plainly than that. If you want to have OB/GYNs in America, we need medical liability reform to protect these good people.
– Pres. Bush, introducing Dr. Laura Dean, at his Health Transparency Show in Minnesota
I hate it when people lie to me. I hate it when the President lies to whole country. It's not pure and simple, and the President's attempt to reduce medical liability to a problem of greedy trial lawyers doesn't help the cause of reform or the shortage of OB/GYNs. I hate it even more when the President uses other people to help him lie.
THE PRESIDENT: Lawsuits bothering you? Obviously, look, I led the witness. (Laughter.) Not even a lawyer. (Laughter.)
DR. DEAN: Certainly it is something looming over the heads of physicians every day, the thought about lawsuits, really, maybe ordering tests to protect yourself and to make sure -- I have many colleagues, similar in age to me, which is not real old yet, in practice of medicine --
THE PRESIDENT: Twenty-seven. (Laughter.)
DR. DEAN: -- who have stopped delivering babies, have stopped performing surgery.
THE PRESIDENT: It's a problem, you've got a problem. It is a problem when society starts losing good souls that otherwise would be OB/GYNs. It's a real problem, and we better do something about it. It's one thing to have good law; we want good law. But these frivolous lawsuits are a real problem for the people of Minnesota and all across the United States. It's serious business. These trial lawyers need to back off and these politicians in the United States Senate, people like Coleman, need to step up, and he will. (Laughter.) And he has. (Applause.)
No, he's been strong, he's been strong on medical liability reform. I'm not trying to turn this thing into a political deal. I'm just telling you, for the sake of this country, for the sake of good medicine, we better get some good medical liability reform out of the United States Senate. (Applause.)
Thanks, Dr. Dean.
DR. DEAN: Thank you.
No. Not trying to turn this into a political deal. Not trying to turn Dr. Dean's attempt at a nuanced response into an attack on trial lawyers and frivolous lawsuits before ushering her off the stage.
Dean advocated for a more humane application of the Minnesota's Women's Right to Know Act. She deserved better than this.
Repeat after me: The problem in OB/GYN is not "frivolous lawsuits." This is just the Republicans' shot at trail lawyers who support Democratic candidates. And perhaps an attempt to appeal to the women's vote.
Malpractice insurance companies and malpractice lawyers weed out all but a few frivolous cases, which are brought by attorneys who don't know what they're doing. The real problem is "bad outcome lawsuits" brought in a system that has no other way to redress unhappy consequences.
Are malpractice premiums driving OB/GYNs out of business? Generally, no.
Are OB/GYNs getting sued out of existence, pure and simple? It's not that simple.
Does the system need reforming? Yes.
Stay tuned.
