Putting government in charge of our health also eliminates government as a level for appeal. Citizens will lose protection; they do not gain it. Also, Medicare has the highest percentage of disallowed health care requests. We need to keep patient care, patient-centered, not government controlled.

There are several things we can do to improve our health care system that do not involve placing the entire system in the hands of the government:

A. Reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in payouts for health care
B. Allow insurance companies to sell health insurance across state lines -circumventing special interests in state capitols
C. Provide small controlled businesses, as defined by the IRS, the same treatment that big corporations receive by allowing owners to deduct health insurance as a business expense, not an itemized deduction and without any requirement to pay social security on the cost.
D. Reform tort laws so as to reduce unnecessary testing and malpractice insurance costs.

a. Limit attorney's contingency fees. California limits the attorney to 40% of the first $50,000, 33% of the next $50,000, 25% of the next $500,000 and 15% of any amount exceeding $600,000.
b. Put limits on non-economic damages in states where the constitution would allow.
c. Require that prospective lawsuits be submitted to a panel composed of doctors, private individuals and no more than one attorney. The panel's findings would be allowed as evidence in court. (See Indiana law) If the panel decided that the suit did not have merit, the suit could still move forward but with the requirement that the loser pay the cost of the suit.
d. Allow loser pays in frivolous lawsuits. e. Establish a post jury panel to set/recommend non-economic awards. The panel would be a permanent panel that would circulate to various jurisdictions and be composed of private citizens with not more than one attorney.
f. Establish rules that would allow a defendant to make an offer in settlement such that should the final settlement or award be less or within 10%, that the individual litigating would pay legal costs from the point of the offer forward.
g. Require expert witnesses to provide substantial and recent experience in the practice area that involves the procedures questioned in the malpractice suit.
h. In the case of material or drug claims, limit contingency fees as in (a) above. i. In the case of material or drug claims, require plaintiffs to disclose their involvement in other cases involving medical claims.
e. Establish a post jury panel to set/recommend non-economic awards. The panel would be a permanent panel that would circulate to various jurisdictions and be composed of private citizens with not more than one attorney.
f. Establish rules that would allow a defendant to make an offer in settlement such that should the final settlement or award be less or within 10%, that the individual litigating would pay legal costs from the point of the offer forward.
g. Require expert witnesses to provide substantial and recent experience in the practice area that involves the procedures questioned in the malpractice suit.
h. In the case of material or drug claims, limit contingency fees as in (a) above.
i. In the case of material or drug claims, require plaintiffs to disclose their involvement in other cases involving medical claims.

E. As to suits involving material causing medical or physical damages to an individual such as asbestos, an implant or a prescribed drug, require that the defendant(s) submit with the lawsuit, a statement of other medical malpractice lawsuits resulting in settlements or court decisions in which they have been involved within the prior 25 years. Additional plaintiffs would be required to submit statements within 30 days of their certification as a defendant.
F. Improve wages in the private sector by passing laws that will increase productivity thereby making health insurance affordable for millions.

- Ed Dedelow