Tort Reform and Drugs

[BOSSHOG]

It seems a day doesn't go by when the FDA isn't citing another drug for some fault or another. And yet, bush gets on the podium and blathers about tort reform so his precious corporations won't be held accountable for their actions. Did he mention drugs yesterday? No. Bad drugs made by bush's buddies will be the cause for future litigation. Instead of addressing bad drugs and the need to fix them, even with evil government intervention, bush chooses to ensure his buddies will be harmed the least if you have a "side-effect" of taking a prescribed drug from a doctor who gets an incentive for prescribing said drug. A "side-effect" like organ failure, heart attack, coma, vegetative state. What's the republican solution for what ails you? Tort reform. Oh yeah, and dumping trillions of your money into the stock market to "save" social security.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Excellent post

This should be a talking point. Tort reform=drug companies can poison you with impunity.

[Mabeline]

2. Ummm, dumb question I know, but just what exactly is tort reform?

I heard this during the debates and didn't understand what it is. I understand reform, but it's the "tort" I don't get.

Does it have to do with Social Security or does it have to do with Lawsuits (thought I heard this somewhere)...or something else.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. Tort "reform"

is changing the rules on liability so that corporations can kill us and rob us and we either can't sue them, have great difficulty winning or receive a pittance even if we do. Be very, very afraid of this.

[Mabeline]

4. Thanks for the colorful explanation, :-)

I was looking for a little more detail that I could understand (I have such a hard time understanding most legal writings), so I went ahead and googled it. I get it now.
--
found it here, http://www.newsbatch.com/tort.htm

Until "tort reform" became a policy issue, the word "tort" was primarily the part of the vernacular of first year law students. Technically, a tort is any civil wrong in which a damaged victim can seek legal redress from the individual who caused the harm. In its political context, "tort reform" generally refers to proposals to limit the prevalence of legal claims prosecuted with the assistance of personal injury lawyers which are perceived to unfairly burden insurance policy holders with exorbitant premiums. Tort law, like most of our legal system, is traditionally a matter of state "common law" and legislation. But Bush Administrative legislative initiatives seek to partially modify this by imposing uniform limits applicable to all states.

In actuality, the "tort system" is part of an overall system for compensating victims who suffer from accidental injuries. Accidents are a part of our human experience. Studies indicate that over the course of a year, approximately 20% of Americans suffer some type of accidental injury and most of these require a doctor's attention. (Click to see chart) The vast majority of accidents causing economic loss are either work-related or automobile-related. Many of these accidents do not involve potential liability of a third party. The primary source of compensation for medical treatment of these injuries is the victim's health insurance.