[bballant]

Another quick comment about doctors and pay (because I had this conversation the other day w/ a young doctor). Doctors are incentivized to prescribe costly tests. They get paid more w/ every test/procedure, and tests also serve to cover their asses. Patients also, often, demand the testing.

Those who are against tort reform often use some statistics showing that tort fees only account for a tiny percentage of health costs, but they miss a deeper relationship between the fear of being sued (most doctors get sued at some point in their career) and the defensive, expensive, care doctors give.

[arn]

"[Doctors] get paid more w/ every test/procedure."

This is not generally true. As a physician, I don't get paid any more if I send people to get labs, XRays, MRIs, or any random expensive test.

The exceptions to this are if as a small business owner, I happen to also own the X-Ray machine, or lab. Or, if you personally perform a procedure (like a surgeon), then the procedure does get you paid more, but you generally get referred to the surgeon when you have a problem.

I agree the other incentives do exist though. "Cover your ass" and "patient demands". But those are an issue with malpractice liability and patient education perhaps.