Healthcare

Debating Proposition 46: Medical-Malpractice Damages, Drug-Testing Docs

October 21, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="">Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast</a>.</p> <p>A hotly contested ballot issue this November is Proposition 46 focusing on medical malpractice suits and doctor drug-testing, pushed forward by Robert and Carmen Pack. The couple's two children, Troy and Alana, were killed by an intoxicated driver who'd been prescribed a plethora of narcotics.</p>

Debating Proposition 46: Medical-Malpractice Damages, Drug-Testing Docs

October 21, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2014/10/21/39923/debating-proposition-46-medical-malpractice-damage/">Click here to listen to the audio of this radio broadcast</a>.</p> <p>A hotly contested ballot issue this November is Proposition 46 focusing on medical malpractice suits and doctor drug-testing, pushed forward by Robert and Carmen Pack. The couple's two children, Troy and Alana, were killed by an intoxicated driver who'd been prescribed a plethora of narcotics.</p>

Lawyers Versus Doctors In Costly Prop. 46 Campaign Wars

October 21, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A ballot initiative that pits lawyers against doctors has set off one of this year's fiercest campaign wars, a costly clash over increasing state limits on malpractice damages and imposing drug testing on physicians.</p> <p>Proposition 46 would raise the cap on pain-and-suffering awards in malpractice lawsuits and require that hospitals randomly test their doctors for drug and alcohol use. Backers say the measure would rein in negligent doctors; opponents charge that it's a money grab by the lawyers who helped put it on the ballot.</p>

Proposition 46 Seeks To Raise Medical Malpractice Cap

October 21, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Voters could make California the first state to require many doctors to submit to random drug and alcohol tests, a safeguard that has long been in place for pilots, police officers and others who must stay clear-eyed on the job.</p> <p>While supporters are promoting that aspect of Proposition 46, it is not the initiative’s most contentious provision.</p> <p>If approved by voters, it also would lift the ceiling on damages for pain and suffering caused by medical negligence, something that has been sought for decades by trial lawyers.</p>

Beyond The Airwaves, Prop. 46 Backers and Opponents Use Grassroots Tactics

October 21, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The battle over Proposition 46, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-proposition46-20141021-story.html">the medical malpractice and drug testing initiative</a>, has led to a deluge of TV and radio ads, mostly from the opposition.</p> <p>But although the fight on the airwaves may be the most visible element of the campaign, both sides are also using grassroots tactics to get their message out.</p>

California Ballot Measure Pits Doctors Against Lawyers

October 14, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/10/14/356050478/california-ballot-measure-pits-doctors-against-lawyers">Click here to listen to this radio broadcast</a>.</p> <p>Troy and Alana Pack had spent the day at their neighborhood Halloween party in Danville, a suburb of San Francisco. Ten-year-old Troy went as a baseball player, and 7-year-old Alana was a good witch. In the afternoon, they changed out of their costumes and set out for a walk with their mother. Destination: Baskin-Robbins.</p>

Prop 46: Voters Will Decide Who Actually Gets Rich

October 13, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Of all the issues in Proposition 46, an omnibus measure on next month’s ballot aiming to improve patients’ rights in several health care areas, money is the one that counts most.</p> <p>The central question boils down to this: Should victims of medical malpractice and their lawyers get rich, or should malpractice insurance companies stay rich?</p>

Why Are CA Doctors Breaking Their Hippocratic Oath on Prop 45?

October 8, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>An Open Letter to my fellow medical professionals about California's Proposition 45 and the primary obligation we have to protect the well being of our patients.</p> <p>Like generations of doctors before us, when each of us graduated from medical school, we were asked to raise our hand and recite the Hippocratic Oath. This was a defining moment in many of our lives. Reciting the words carried great weight and purpose: "I will apply all measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice."</p>

Primer of November Propositions

October 7, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span id="widgetid_1124_articlebody">Most of us will shortly receive an absentee ballot in the mail for the upcoming Nov. 4 election. Other than the continuous and deceptive ranting by health care lobbies about threats of higher medical costs if we pass Propositions45 and 46, this election seems under the radar. I always read the actual language of any bill or proposition.</span></p> <p><span id="widgetid_1124_articlebody">Usually I uncover hidden purposes that are misrepresented or misstated in election ads.</span></p>

Editorial: State Propositions Warrant Much Skepticism

October 6, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span id="RDS_global"><span id="MNGiSection">California voters have every right to view all state propositions with a healthy dose of skepticism.</span></span></p> <p><span id="RDS_global"><span id="MNGiSection">Propositions rarely do exactly what the authors say they will do. They are drawn up with loopholes big enough to drive a bullet train through, or with little favors built in to curry votes with certain groups, or with last-minute add-ons that should make voters uneasy.</span></span></p>

Op-Ed: Prop. 45 Is Good For Your Health

October 5, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Sherri Stoddard is a registered nurse who works in San Luis Obispo County, and serves on the board of directors of the 86,000-member California Nurses Association, which supports Proposition 45.</p> <p> </p>

Initiative Seeks To Raise Medical Malpractice Cap

October 4, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>LOS ANGELES -- Voters could make California the first state to require many doctors to submit to random drug and alcohol tests, a safeguard that has long been in place for pilots, police officers and others who must stay clear-eyed on the job.</p> <p>While supporters are promoting that aspect of Proposition 46, it is not the initiative's most contentious provision.</p>