Medical suit reform must stay in place
Like all physicians in DuPage County and the rest of Illinois, I was frustrated to learn that Cook County circuit court Judge Diane Larsen decided the medical lawsuit reforms enacted in 2005 are unconstitutional. Now the issue will go before the Illinois Supreme Court for a final ruling, and on behalf of all of our patients I hope the high court will uphold this important measure. It is truly needed to preserve patients' access to medical care.
The reforms, which became law two years ago, are already restoring balance to Illinois' out-of-control medical liability environment by placing a $500,000 cap on non-economic damages for individual doctors and a $1 million cap for hospitals. Economic damages, like medical expenses and lost wages, remain unlimited. (Often the non-economic portion of a jury award is an arbitrary figure based on jurors' emotions rather than the facts of the case.)
The reforms also curb frivolous medical lawsuits, which were a huge problem in Illinois prior to 2005. The cost of defending frivolous suits contributed to increased medical liability insurance premiums, which left many doctors fleeing Illinois for neighboring states where doctors paid only a third of Illinois' rates.
Bottom line: without this law, access to doctors and especially high-risk specialists will become endangered throughout Illinois. I hope the state's high court will reaffirm the 2005 medical lawsuit reforms and keep doctors in Illinois. And I urge patients who care about their access to medical care to continue reminding lawmakers that this issue matters to them.
Christopher A. Barbour president, DuPage County Medical Society
Why is recall focus only on toys?
With all the recent toy recalls, I have been asking myself why just toys. Let's look at some other things that people are exposed to far more than toys. How about the keyboards for our computers? As I am typing this letter, I ask myself what are lead levels of the actual keys? We all have far more exposure to keyboards than any toy we will ever own.
The telephone, that's made of plastic. The steering wheel in my car, the knob on the paper dispenser in the men's room, the clothes hangers I use, the list could go on and on. Is anyone testing these?
First we had the recall from RC2 for the Thomas Toys; that one I believe was a good call. The first toy recall this year for Fisher Price has been blown way out of proportion.
I am not saying that people shouldn't be leery of what they are buying, but they need to ask, other than toys, what else is made of plastic that they couldn't function in their daily routine without?
I am in my early 40s. How many toys did we suck on when we were kids that had no ill effect on us? Of the toys that have high levels of lead, just what exactly would you have to do to have this lead affect you adversely?
In the recent recall of the Aqua Dots, there was a story of a child less then 2 who ingested one of the dots. What's a 2-year-old doing with a toy marketed for an older child?
Is it tragic? Yes, but most of the stories of children getting sick have to do with children having access to toys geared for older responsible kids. We keep chemicals locked away from young children; why not for toys they shouldn't have in the first place?
The auto industry has recalls every year. They also have unannounced recalls you only find out about after you take your car to your dealership for service. What if you like using your local service guy, then you never find out about these recalls?
Perhaps I am wrong in my accusations about computers, phones, etc. But until I read otherwise, I am going to wonder.
Craig Stewart
Bartlett