Reform the whole medical system
LETTERS LETTERS@USATODAY.COM
As a retired physician, I agree wholeheartedly that truly bad practitioners need to be weeded out of practice. Part of the problem is the 50 state licensing system. While all doctors need to pass a national exam, there is no national license. Unlike laws, the human body doesn’t change from state to state. If licensing were national, an incompetent or criminally convicted doctor wouldn’t be able to set up shop in another state.
But it’s also time to take malpractice out of the personal injury lottery. Lay juries don’t have the knowledge to objectively evaluate complex medical issues. Instead, lawyers appeal to their emotions. Sky-high awards have driven the cost of malpractice insurance so high in some areas that it makes it hard for specialized doctors to practice. Until we reform this broken system, car accident victims or women with emergency pregnancy complications could be in even more jeopardy. Margo Vale Portsmouth, R.I.
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It should be easier to get information on the performance of doctors and hospitals we use. We need laws to protect the American people. We can’t rely on medical professionals to police themselves. Candy Sauder
As with so many other things, medicine should be federally regulated. Unfortunately, many aspects of our country are stuck in pre-Civil War mindset. Realistically, the states shouldn’t be more than organizational subunits of our country. Lose your license in Maine? You should lose it in every state. Daniel Stuart Hoffman
What do you expect with such a shortage of doctors? It’s normal for medical students to start their careers in debt. The costs of malpractice should be absorbed by the government as an investment! Mike Martin
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