You might have noticed the ads on this site and other blogs and news sites (especially if you're in the Washington, D.C. metro area where the buy is focused) pointing out the 98,000 Reasons not to throw out patients' rights in the process of reforming health care.
The 98,000 refers to an Institute of Medicine study showing that is the number of Americans who die needlessly every year due to avoidable medical error.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Disclosure: I'm proud to be working with the American Association for Justice to fight for patients' rights.
As American Association for Justice President Anthony Torricone blogged at the Seminal:
Look at what the actual data says: 98,000 people dead every year from preventable medical errors, at a cost of $29 billion. Countless more are seriously injured with astronomical costs. The Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office have looked at tort reform multiple times, and said it will save practically no money. They also found no evidence of so-called "defensive medicine," finding that doctors run more tests because of the fee-for-service structure, or because of the benefits extra tests have on patient care.
Additionally, a 2006 study from Harvard found that 97% of cases were meritorious, totally debunking the idea that frivolous lawsuits plague our courts. And while 46 states have enacted some kind of tort reform, health care costs have continued to skyrocket, while injured patients often can’t seek justice.
It’s no coincidence that the same people who have hijacked our health care system – the insurance companies – are the same folks that want tort reform. Insurers charge exorbitant amounts for malpractice coverage, raking in billions of dollars off the backs of doctors. Then, the insurance companies lobby for tort reform, and promise to pass the savings onto physicians and consumers. Of course, the savings never materialize, while injured patients are left holding the bag. We’ve been fooled once before, and shouldn’t let it happen again.
And that's not even the whole story. This Hearst Newspapers special report points out that even more Americans die needlessly due to preventable causes in the U.S. medical system:
Experts estimate that a staggering 98,000 people die from preventable medical errors each year. More Americans die each month of preventable medical injuries than died in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In addition, a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study concluded that 99,000 patients a year succumb to hospital-acquired infections. Almost all of those deaths, experts say, also are preventable.
These numbers are not absolutes. There is no definitive study — which is part of the problem — but all of the available research indicates that the death toll from preventable medical injuries approaches 200,000 per year in the United States.
Ten years ago, a highly publicized federal report called the death toll shocking and challenged the medical community to cut it in half — within five years.
Instead, federal analysts believe the rate of medical error is actually increasing.
Please don't let Congress throw patients' rights away in their efforts to reach a mythical compromise with the right on health care. Go to 98000 Reasons and learn more and find out how to get involved.