RICHMOND--Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, offered some solutions for high malpractice and health-insurance rates yesterday in a talk at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.
In the third appearance by a member of the Edwards family in Virginia during this campaign, Edwards said a variety of factors play into the rising cost of doctors' malpractice insurance.
The problem has driven many doctors, especially obstetricians and gynecologists, out of practice.
Rappahannock General Hospital in the Northern Neck closed its obstetrical unit this year in part because the obstetricians who served it could not get malpractice insurance.
Edwards, whose husband made his name as a plaintiff's attorney in medical malpractice cases, said malpractice awards are not a driver of high insurance costs.
She said states that have caps on malpractice awards haven't shown any lower awards, on average, than states without caps, and that the average size of awards is decreasing.
The Bush camp disputes the study on which that claim is based.
Edwards said low Medicaid reimbursement rates are part of the problem. She said her husband and his running mate, John Kerry, have several proposals that could mitigate high malpractice-insurance issues.
"There are a lot of frivolous cases" brought to court, she said, and having a panel of attorneys weed out those lawyers who bring frivolous cases could reduce the number.
Such a group could "make sure we rout out these cases by rooting out the lawyers who file them," Edwards said. "The current administration has no real plan to rid the system of frivolous lawsuits."
Edwards also said that 50 percent of malpractice claims are against just 5 percent to 7 percent of doctors. If doctors could be more vigilant in policing their own, that would help.
She also blamed insurance companies, saying they raise rates when their stock-investment portfolios dip.
Edwards also noted that insurance companies are exempt from federal antitrust laws, something the Kerry-Edwards ticket would like to change.
But if none of those steps worked, Edwards said, the Democratic candidates are proposing federal help, such as tax credits, to lower malpractice premiums.
Edwards criticized the Bush administration's approach to health-care problems, saying it relies too heavily on malpractice award caps, tax-free health savings accounts, and bare-bones "associated health plans."
Speaking in Missouri earlier this week, Bush--who favors caps on liability awards--specifically mentioned lawsuits as one reason doctors are leaving the business.
"We need to do something about these frivolous lawsuits that are running up the cost of your health care and running good docs out of business," Bush said, according to The Associated Press. "We've got an issue in America. Too many good docs are getting out of business."
Edwards also discussed personal insurance problems.
Cyndi Watkins, a Richmond woman on a panel of four people telling Edwards their health-care issues, said she is a student who can't get insurance for her asthmatic daughter. Watkins, a student, also works 39 hours a week--just below the threshold at which she would qualify for health benefits.
"Senator Kerry actually has some answers for you," Edwards said.
The Kerry campaign would have the government cover health insurance for all children whose parents make up to 300 percent of the poverty level, she said. Kerry also wants to provide a federal tax credit for small businesses to cover up to 50 percent of the cost of providing health insurance.
Edwards touched on other health care issues as well--she favors the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, for example.
"The first day we allow importation of drugs from Canada, the price of drugs right here would come down," Edwards said.
She said the Bush administration has blocked that and other kinds of competition.
"This administration has protected the pharmaceutical companies from the kind of competition that would bring prices down," she said. "This administration is not about the business of providing you with affordable drugs. It's not."
Bush's re-election Web site says Bush is a champion of lowering prescription costs, but that federal law states importation of drugs cannot happen until the Federal Drug Administration can certify that imported drugs are not expired or otherwise inferior.
That hasn't happened yet. The Bush Web site also says a Congressional Budget Office study concluded that importation of drugs would not save consumers much money.
To reach CHELYEN DAVIS: 804/782-9362 cdavis@freelancestar.com