New Hampshire Doctors Endorse Howard Dean For President

[Rose Siding]

NH Press Office, 603-222-1900
Sun, 12/21/2003
Nearly 300 Physicians Join “Doctors for Dean”
CONCORD — Today in Concord, the Dean for America campaign announced that 294 New Hampshire health care professionals have endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean, M.D. In giving their support, they cited his experience as a doctor, his health care record in Vermont, and his leadership on other issues. With their front line perspective on the health care crisis in America, these doctors’ support for Dean is a powerful endorsement of the Governor’s proposed health care plan and his performance in office.

“With the support of these dedicated health care professionals, I know that health care for all Americans will become a reality when I take office,” said Governor Dean. “My own experience as a doctor has shaped my understanding of how to improve access to health care, and I am honored that these physicians are bringing their knowledge and skills to our campaign.”

“Governor Dean’s record on health care is unmatched in the presidential race,” said Bob Friedlander, M.D., of Hooksett, who is the coordinator of Doctors for Dean. “Based on Dr. Dean’s success in Vermont, where he expanded health care coverage to include nearly 92% of adults and 96% of children, I believe that he will bring American values back to the health care system to benefit all our citizens.”

“Over the years, I have probably supported Republicans at least as often as I have supported Democrats, and I’ve never endorsed anyone publicly before,” said Stephen Plume, M.D., of Lebanon. “Now I think it matters more. Howard Dean, as Governor, has earned our respect for his intelligence and integrity and willingness to listen to every constituency. George Bush, as President, has not.”

Added Suzanne Boulter, M.D., of Concord, “As a pediatrician I am thrilled to hear a candidate for the presidency make children’s access to affordable health care a real priority and one that is backed up by successful experience at the state level.”

Comprised of health care professionals who live or work in New Hampshire, Doctors for Dean is an active part of the Dean campaign’s health care outreach program in the Granite State. Since its inception in August, Doctors for Dean have held house meetings, written to community members, and reached out to social networks to spread the word about Governor Dean’s health care proposals.

http://newhampshire.deanforamerica.com/node/view/1533

[madfloridian]

1. Starts again about now on C-Span.

Excellent job he did, too. Much applause.

[Cha]

2. Great! This is Good news!

Every single endorsement is so Precious!:7

[Duder]

4. Two more endorsements for Dean...

N.H. State representatives Steve Michon and Mary Ellen Martin are supporting Gov. Howard Dean for president.

These endorsements bring the number of state reps. for Dean to 42, the most of any candidate.

[slinkerwink]

3. it's great that 294 doctors endorsed Dean!

:bounce:

[Democrats unite]

6. So I wonder what the chances are for Medical malpractices suits?

eom

[SahaleArm]

7. Zero - Dean wants arbitration aka tort reform

Dr. Dean recognizes the role of federal leadership in addressing rising insurance premiums and other burdens faced by practicing physicians. As Governor, Dr. Dean cracked down on frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits by enacting a law requiring the submission of medical malpractice claims to an arbitration panel before the commencement of trial. Under his guidance, Vermont was able to head off the kinds of medical cost problems that other states have experienced.

http://www.doctorsfordean.org/letterToDoctors.html

That doesn't sound too patient friendly, especially if the deck is stacked in favor of the AMA.

[Rose Siding]

11. Dean: ."..access to the courts is a fundamental civil right..."

Supporting Doctors And Their Patients

As a physician, I understand the concerns doctors have with medical malpractice system. Faced with rapidly increasing insurance premiums, doctors are avoiding certain specialties, and many are leaving the medical profession altogether. This isn’t good for patients or for the American health care system generally.

But access to the courts is a fundamental civil right for all Americans, and many patients receive compensation for their injuries through the justice system.

We need a medical malpractice system that works for both doctors and patients. Patients and their families should have recourse to legal remedies if they suffer injuries and are wronged. Doctors shouldn’t be run out of business by soaring premiums or spend countless hours defending frivolous lawsuits.

Fixing the problems with the system requires compromise and thoughtful reform. But perhaps most importantly, it requires a recognition by doctors and by their patients that we need to fix the system in a way that preserves both the medical profession and the rights of patients to seek compensation and justice.

I support state efforts to discourage frivolous lawsuits while still holding the health care system accountable for its mistakes....
snip>

Any reforms in this area should meet two tests. They should screen out frivolous lawsuits, and they should protect access to the courts for valid claims so that victims of medical negligence receive fair compensation.

I oppose the Republican medical malpractice bill now before the U.S. Senate. It represents unwarranted and probably unconstitutional federal interference with state tort laws. It is essentially being used for political purposes and it will never be enacted. I favor real solutions at the state level and federal support and guidance for states to implement those solutions.

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_health_medicalmalpractice

[madfloridian]

13. But that makes too much sense, doesn't it?

I am sure someone will hop right in here.

[SahaleArm]

16. Who's hopping? ;) n/t

[Rose Siding]

17. It isn't surprising that any kind of arbitration is viewed

with skepticism. The govt has been in bed with just about everyone BUT the public for so long that it *is* hard to trust. I understand that. But at some point we have to say, This is so broken, and do something different- something that at least looks like it has the chance to be fair.

We need to make sure WE'RE the ones in bed :+ tee hee

[SahaleArm]

19. The only ones in the bed will be the AMA

The AMA wants to decrease the amount of malpractice insurance that Docters have to pay. Will those savings be passed on to the consumer? No! Who profits? The Doctors.

[Democrats unite]

18. I asked a valid question

Clark has been getting it for being Military, Edwards has been questiond about lawyers, Is everything hands off Dean? He's a Doctor and having that much support from Doctors should raise questions.

[SahaleArm]

23. Always question the answers ;) n/t

[madfloridian]

And if he did not get the support of doctors? Then what would you say?

:shrug:

What a sad place this is. You know there is no hands off on Dean, that is just plain silly.

If he did not get support from doctors, one of you would start a thread with this subject line:

"Can someone tell me why the doctors did not support Dean"

Then you say, I really like him, followed by a but......

[SahaleArm]

41. If he truely wanted to buck the system I would be impressed...

But reality is that a public supplement to private insurance is the only viable solution today, hence the only one supported by the major candidates.

[madfloridian]

46. You think it is ok that insurance will drop us? That cancer care is cut.

Then I give up. You sound like the people deserve to be discarded because it is viable.

[SahaleArm]

47. No, I never did, but what does this have to do with malpractice insurance?

Why change the subject to something else to yell at me? Truely bucking the system is saying f*ck you to special interest and doing the right thing (single-payer). In fact other than the malpractice bit I don't have any issues with Dean's plan.

[SahaleArm]

15. If a law requires arbitration before going to court then...

access to the court is contingent on arbitration, which may or may not allow a court case to proceed. Let the courts decide what is and is not frivolous, not some arbitration panel. The defense has the right to trial by jury or trial by judge, not trial by arbitration.

This Statement:

I support state efforts to discourage frivolous lawsuits while still holding the health care system accountable for its mistakes

Contradicts this:

Dr. Dean recognizes the role of federal leadership in addressing rising insurance premiums and other burdens faced by practicing physicians.


Why is Dean for states-rights on every controversial issue?

[Rose Siding]

21. You hopped! )

States control state justice systems, feds regulate business. No contradiction.

I've heard some states rights arguments for guns and civil unions but that's only 2 controversial issues. I bet there are more.

I don't know just what the arbitration system would look like, but I know the HC system is in crises. Personally, I think that ins cos are the root of the whole problem but a *fair* system as a means to show cause, and with some method to appeal, doesn't seem like an outrageous burden.

[SahaleArm]

22. The practice of medicine is a business...

Hence it is regulatable by the federal gorvenement as commerce; unless Doctors want to work for free:). I'm pretty free-market but public health is a strange issue, a square peg that won't fit nicely into the round hole of commerce. I suspect there will be some change where consumers get better pricing and Doctors pay less malpractice, what that is I have no idea? Socialized medicine is a non-starter in the US because neither the insurance companies, nor the doctors, nor the tort-lawyers want it.

On Edit: I didn't hop:)

[madfloridian]

27. Well, we just found out my husband has cancer.

We also just found out that soon oncologists may not get reimbursed for the drugs they use.

Our country is broken, and it is damn time to fix it.

And you want to hear the real kicker? We are fully insured through insurance from our doctors which will be in addition to Medicare when the time comes.

Guess what. This system you speak of and seem to not be bothered by will allow our insurance to drop us. Yes, that is what is going to happen. We will be forced into whatever fiasco the government dreams up.

You are just dreaming when you think universal health care can't be brought in gradually as Dean mentions. People are desperate. We have worked all our lives, we are well-off, and we were forced onto this disaster of Medicare.

Shame on anyone who is not willing to try to fix it.

[SahaleArm]

40. Sorry to hear that

We were dicussing malpractice insurance not his whole plan. It's foolhardy to believe it will happen overnight, and Dean's plan is still based on supplementing private insurance options, not a complete overhaul of the system. Does it take us closer? Of course, but the problem of malpractice insurance is separate from patient insurance and the thrust of what we were discussing.

[madfloridian]

32. We just posted the answer.

In this thread.

[madfloridian]

33. Here is the link to the full speech.

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_policy_health_medicalmalpractice

[BootinUp]

5. I Listened to some of this speech

Dean is very compelling when he talks aboout being a cog in the machine. I can see why people are attracted to him. I am not wavering in support for my candidate, but just saying Dean is doing a good job.

cheers

[mzmolly]

8. Thanks Wes!

:toast:

[Myra]

9. I thought he did a good job on the tort reform issue

Said he thought it was unconstitutional.
I think this was a fairly gutsy thing to say in front of
a group of doctors who, I'm guessing, dislike laywers in general.

I believe he was responding to a question from the (other)
doctors. I would like to know every candidate's stance on
tort reform. It's a biggie.

[Rose Siding]

12. Dean's more detailed policy is in post #11

[Myra]

20. Thanks party_line

eom

[madfloridian]

10. Thanks, I was impressed with his points on the physician/patient problem.

He really did a good job.

[Andromeda]

63. Thanks, Jim!

:thumbsup:

[ClarkGraham2004]

14. Clark needs to hit NH and SC hard.

An ideal situation for Clark would be #2 in NH and #1 in SC.

[askew]

24. Great endorsement for Dean!

This is a great endorsement for Dean. I really like hearing his explaination of his healthcare plan. He explains why his plan isn't a single payer plan (he doesn't think it would be successful and it would never pass congress) and what exactly his plan does. I also liked his answer on mental health and children about having preventive programs in place to hopefully prevent some of these children from having mental health issues down the road. And his answer on tort reform was really brave considering he was in a room full of doctors. He said that Bush's plan for tort reform was unconstitutional, because it enforced federal legislation on state's courts. This should be a state issue. There is no federal issue in medical malpractice in most cases. He also said that reform of some kind was necessary due in a large part to how insurance companies generated premium. And he mentioned how Maine reformed their system by having a judge review all cases and dismiss frivolous cases, which would still allow for the public to be heard by a neutral third party. Lastly, he mentioned that each state has a different level of reform necessary. He mentioned Nevada and New Jersey as two states with serious problems.

[wyldwolf]

25. Of course they did... Dean took the "state's rights" cop out angle again..

Just hours after U.S. Senate Democrats defeated legislation that would limit damage awards in medical malpractice cases Wednesday, the American Association of Health Plans called for candidates to take a stand on the issue.

Democrats who voted down the reform in Congress said the bill would punish individuals to protect groups like the American Medical Association, HMOs, drug companies and manufacturers of medical devices.

Howard Dean, a doctor, ... said the issue is best handled by state courts and legislators, not at the national level.

http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/politics2003/0713_malpractice_2003.shtml

[ClarkGraham2004]

26. Agreed. I didn't like that answer.

He sounded like a Republican right then.

[Rose Siding]

28. The repubs *did* favor the legislation

so opposing it also sounds repub?

link in post 11:

Dean:
"I oppose the Republican medical malpractice bill now before the U.S. Senate. It represents unwarranted and probably unconstitutional federal interference with state tort laws. It is essentially being used for political purposes and it will never be enacted. I favor real solutions at the state level and federal support and guidance for states to implement those solutions."

[madfloridian]

30. You beat me to it.

Someone either missed the speech or listened to just parts.

[wyldwolf]

29. Dean takes the "state's rights" stance on several issues...

...so he doesn't have to take a position.

[madfloridian]

31. Some candidates take no stands on anything.

They just say they are for what Dean is not for. Yep, that is the way it is.

[wyldwolf]

34. Right. But on some key democratic issues, Dean defers to the states...

...so he doesn't have to take a position.

But that aside, which candidates and issues are you referring to specifically above?

[madfloridian]

39. Ok, you win. I will tell him to drop out right now.

He is just not worthy.

Forget about the other issues, you know without my saying.

[wyldwolf]

43. Do you have that kind of pull?

No seriously, if national laws on gay rights, gun control, and medical malpractice cases just aren't important to you (anymore), Dean is your man.

Maybe he is remaking the Democratic party - in the image of the libertarian party.

[madfloridian]

48. The others are remaking it in the image of the GOP.

The word libertarian is your choice, I don't agree. I am tired of the others jumping when Al From says frog.

[wyldwolf]

49. Let's see...

..all the candidates take classic liberal positions on everything... but on a few traditional key democratic issues, Dean takes the classic libertarian/republican position of leaving them to the states.

[Rose Siding]

53. You should tell the last elected Democratic President

Bill "the era of big govt is over" Clinton

[wyldwolf]

54. Next time I see him, I will...

...

[askew]

50. Wrong, Dean was not avoiding taking a stand

He believes that the current federal bill on tort reform was unconstutional, as similar laws had been found unconstutional in the past. Therefore, it is up to the states to address tort reform. And he is right. If there is no prevailing federal issue, the federal government can't be passing laws, which would impact awards in state courts. And if he were acting like a republican or siding with the special interests (AMA or insurance cos.), he would be for this legislation, because it would save doctors and insurance companies money. Many democrats are against this bill, because we get special interest money from American Bar Association, which would lose money with this bill.

If you had listened to Dean's answer tonight, he did state quite clearly his reasoning for being against this bill, why it was a state issue and that each state has a different level of tort reform necessary in their state. Just because states-rights is an argument used by republicans, does not mean it is always wrong. There is a reason our country has this two-tiered layer of government. Some issues need to be settled at a state level, not a federal level.

[BootinUp]

35. Its pretty smart too

Dean is an interesting mix I must admit. But I feel like his most dedicated supporters haven't looked beneath the wrapper.

[wyldwolf]

36. Well sure it's smart..

Dean's non-stance on several key issues have changed the minds of many democrats who once had strong positions on those issues.

[BootinUp]

38. Sorta like

out-a-sight-out-a-mind.

[madfloridian]

37. Oh, stop it.

That is so snide and ugly. It is counter productive in advocating your candidate.

[BootinUp]

45. Maybe

your right...but it wasn't intended to be ugly. Just trying to make a point.

[Rose Siding]

42. Your "feeling" that Dean's supporters

haven't checked him out is completely subjective and unsubstantiated. Have you ever once pointed out anything to us and heard "OMG, NO! I had no idea!"?

It's unnecessarily insulting for you to assume that so many (or ANY) would be so careless about something this important.

[BootinUp]

52. Well, maybe I deserved that

Its the whole centrist that appeals to the active (left) of the democratic party thing. I'll just stop there.

[thinkahead]

60. if you only knew

how equally we feel about some of you guys :)

[madfloridian]

44. I watched a thoughtful intelligent man give a good speech tonight.

I could see compassion and understanding for the dangers of the corporate machine this country has become.

Then I come here, and I see nothing but anger.

You win, whatever you guys say. Dean bad, others good. So childish.

[FrenchieCat]

51. Hey, I saw that Clark speech too...

And you are right, Clark is thoughtfull and intelligent.

Aren't we lucky!

[maxanne]

55. yeah,

how come we aren't seeing "Generals for Clark?"

[SahaleArm]

56. Because he's willing to buck the system unlike a certain AMA shill n/t

I'd rather he have rank and file support: http://www.clark04.com/americanson/

[Andromeda]

65. Hahahahahaha...

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[loyalsister]

57. It's the Dr.s or the lawyers

The only way anyone is going to get a health care plan passed is if they get the AMA on board. There is no way that will happen if the candidate is seen as a shill for trial lawyers. I prefer the Dr endorsement since I have a strong interest in actually getting a plan passed.

[slinkerwink]

58. same here also.

[SahaleArm]

59. So screw the people because the AMA-cartel says so? n/t

[loyalsister]

61. Screw the people?

by giving them health care???? This does not eliminate civil justice as trial lawyers fundies want people to believe. It would eliminate any justification for high premiums for malpractice insurance. I know several doctors who have been forces into larger practices because of malpractice premiums. There has been a huge decrease in the number of women's health providers because of the astronomical costs of malpractice insurance for obstetricians. Even midwives are being forced out of practice.
http://womensenews.com/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1635
Adopting a plan like Dean's might give us more of those providers.
This position forces the hand of insurance companies and increases the chances of passing a health care plan.
Can you explain why it would be a bad thing to have more people covered? AND exactly how that would be "screwing the people"?

[SahaleArm]

64. Trial lawyer Fundies? Tort-Reform? Where have I heard this rant?

This has everything with bring down the costs for Doctors not the patient insurance costs. The solution to malpractice isn't through rigged arbitration panels or cowering in front of the AMA. Malpractice insurance control through an insurance commissioner is better than giving up patient rights to the courts. Courts are well equipped to remove frivilous lawsuits in an expedited manner. And Surprise - OBGYN are always complaining about the costs of malpractice insurance.

[Andromeda]

62. Here's to the NH doctors!

:toast:

[SahaleArm]

66. AMA - Who said you can't mix money, politics, and public health?

:kick: