SB3 - "Tort Reform" - Please call, email or fax your representative now

[RubyDuby in GA]

Our insider at the capital called a few minutes ago to tell us that the tort reform supporters are calling in to their representatives in massive numbers today. The vote is expected tomorrow.

Please call or fax your State Representative today, this evening, or first thing tomorrow. If you need talking points, check out the Action Alert for SB 3 at www.georgiafordemocracy.org.

This bill claims to address the problems of increasing medical malpractice insurance rates but it DOES NOT address this problem. It caps rewards for victims of malpractice and it doing so limits the ability of individuals to sue negligent health care providers.

Tell your friends, family, co-workers.

Note: The Georgia General Assembly website has been offline much of the day. To determine who to call try www.vote-smart.org

Thank you!

[johncoby2]

1. We did this in Texas! And it didn't work!

It was a complete fraud. Good luck.

[seventythree]

2. California, too, I believe

the premiums did not come down after tort deform -- not until they enacted insurance regulation did they come down. This is just a gimmy to the insurance companies, as is the SS debacle. With SS deform people will be forced to buy an annuity, guess who sells those? And if the person dies with money left over in it, it will go to the insurance companies. That's what I have been reading, anyway. Doctors and insurance companies are the bulwark of finance for Republicans , and trial lawyers and unions are ours.

[MGKrebs]

3. Georgia For Democracy link

that doesn't require login (I think).

http://tinyurl.com/59baa

[CottonBear]

4. Thanks for the alert.

I will contact Jane Kidd and Brian Kemp ASPA. Jane is a great Dem. Brian is a repub tool. I knew him through work before he was elected. He is an Athens resident and an Oconee County Republican developer. Still, he needs to hear from us. He needs to hear from the other side of the aisle, as it were.

[flaminbats]

5. Why would one wish to reduce a punishment for criminal neglect?

"Tort - any private or civil wrong by act or omission for which a civil suit can be brought, but not including a breach of contract."

How does the protection of criminals from civil justice improve our health care system? Why should a doctor not fully pay for damages caused by his or her malpractice?

Perhaps this is really contort reform.

[MGKrebs]

6. You ask good questions.

I have been asking similar ones of my representatives:
- In return for protecting corporate liability, are we getting guaranteed rate reductions from them?
- How can we trust juries to decide life or death but not trust them with monetary compensation?
- Are we making any distinction between frivolous lawsuits and legitmate lawsuits?

edited for speeling to to aclohol.

[CottonBear]

7. The State website still down.

I just spoke w/ Kemp's office and voiced my concerns. They said it was an"outside hacker." Sounds funny. The site has never been down. It's down now during a critical time.

edit: link to Eric Johnson's site: http://www.votejohnson.com/
This link is about SB5