KCEN-TV
January 6, 2005
www.kcentv.com

Local doctors weigh in on malpractice issue
By: Matt Pene

President Bush is continuing his push for a national cap on medical malpractice awards. He wants to limit the pain and suffering portion of damages to $250,000 and some local doctors and lawyers are beginning to weigh in.

Waco doctor William Peper knows the meaning of high insurance costs. As a chest and vascular surgeon, ten years ago he paid about $20,000 for liability insurance. It has now nearly tripled. He says that's partly because of high jury awards from malpractice suits against other doctors.

“If the doctors can't get coverage,” he says, “They'll flee the state. If you and I need a doctor, what will we do? We need an environment where doctors feel free to practice medicine.”

Texas passed a cap last year at $250,000 for the pain and suffering part of malpractice awards, but now President Bush is pushing an identical cap nationwide. He says the cap would ultimately lower health care costs.

“Medical liability reform is a national issue and it requires and national solution.”

Waco Attorney Vic Feazell says what this really is about is big business getting richer.

“Our politicians in control today are selling out the American family to big business pure and simple,” he says. Feazell says the cap will not hold doctors accountable and a "one size fits all" theory does not work.

“I have a client right now, middle-aged man – goes into the hospital with an ulcer to be repaired, comes out without his leg amputated because of medical negligence and they want to cap that at $250,000? That's not fair.

Dr. Peper says, “High lawsuit returns don't punish the bad doctors as much as they punish the good doctors because their rates go up.”

Now, Congress will decide the issue. Dr. Peper also points out that even with the cap in place, there is no limit to the amount of lost wages and no limit to medical expenses you can recover.