After spending an entire weekday at home, I am sure of one thing; daytime can rot your brain! Not only can daytime TV destroy brain cells, it highlights the worst traits of the human race. Dr Phil, Judge Judy, and multiple other TV personalities parade some of the human race’s most embarrassing individuals in front of their viewing audiences.
If you don’t believe me, channel surf like I did! It was enlightening and frightening. This article is all about the frightening side of my day at home. As I was perusing the channels, I was mesmerized by a commercial segment I happened upon. During that segment, five different law offices were mining for gold.
“If you have been injured by the use of surgical mesh, call 1-800-We-Just-Won- The-Lottery!”
“If you experienced a bleed on Pradaxa, call 1-800-You-Can-Get-Rich!”
“If your child was born with a birth defect, call 1-800-Make-A-Fast-Buck”
“If your loved one developed a bed sore or fell in a nursing home, call 1-800-Collect-Millions now!”
“If you developed a blood clot on birth control pills, call 1-800-Screw-Them-And-Get-Rich.”
Yes, we have a healthcare crisis in the US. Providing healthcare becomes more difficult and expensive every year. Doctors are criticized for doing unnecessary tests and practicing defensive medicine. Defensive medicine and the defense of unfounded lawsuits adds to the cost of care.
Is it any wonder that doctors practice defensive medicine? Frightening is an understatement when describing these commercials. To make matters worse, each smiling attorney makes one promise:
“We promise that we won’t charge you anything unless we collect on your claim.” Yes, you can sue a healthcare professional for free! You can roll the dice without any financial risk! You can play the odds. Just call 1-800-Increase-Everyone’s-Healthcare-Costs and hope your doc’s insurance company settles rather than financing a winning defense.
Why would they settle? It’s simple math. Pay out $50,000 to settle an unfounded claim or spend $300,000 to win in court. Luckily for me, my insurer did not settle cases. Fortunately, they would rather spend $300,000 and win. Unfortunately, the cost of malpractice insurance is shared by every patient seen in this country.
Frightening? You bet! The sharks are circling and all of us are the food they live on! And no one is doing anything about it.
