About Health Care Law

This is the approach being taken by the Obama administration for the industry can be compared to a chunk of Swiss Cheese, riddled with holes and headaches. The health care system in the US is not only damaged but the whole health system is in so need of a revamp, touching one side of the spectrum without addressing the other would quickly land them in hot water, enough to scald them with the following legal battles. Read the rest of this entry »

The economy is in shambles and one of the most critical victims is of course, the health care system. The US health care system has been battling for survival since the system fell in disarray many years back with public care being of less importance that the many costs the government had to fund. The two wars and other more pressing issues such as the current economic stimulus package has again taxed heavy on the system which has lagged so much behind compared to private care in the many hospitals around. Read the rest of this entry »

It has been promised but has yet to be realized, the health care system of the US is wrought with dangers at every twist and turn. Why, it has been so riddled with scandals, corruption and mishandling that it would take more than just reform with the only option being a total revamp of the system. The health care system is in shambles as experts have been saying for a long time and with the Bush administration taking it to lower heights of importance, more troubles have plagued the system. Read the rest of this entry »

Respondeat superior is the Latin for the phrase “let the master answer”.
Generally, the term is regarded as a legal doctrine which holds the principal/employer liable or responsible for the actions of the agent/employees which takes place during the course of employment. The doctrine works behind the premise that the principal has a sense of control over the the agent’s behavior and assumes some some responsibility for the agent’s actions. Respondeat superior applies even though the employer may have done nothing wrong.
In the field of medicine, the Respondeat Superior, also applies. An example is when a surgical sponge is left inside a patient’s body (abdomen) after an operation, the OR nurse on duty is not the only one responsible for the malpractice, but also the surgeon. The patient can sue, not only the nurse, anesthetist, and the surgeon, and other members of the surgical team, but also the hospital.

These are cases that the plaintiff and lawyer both agree on having little or no merit but still decide to pursue. These cases are more on the side of Personal injury, where people or companies file cases to get the other to pay for injuries sustained (or not) during the performance of their duty. There are also lawyers who will take a case on a contingency measure which simply means the lawyer doesn’t get paid if his client doesn’t win. This form of lawyer/client relationship is meant to deter the filing of frivolous cases thus for a lawyer to take such a case would be suicide. Such cases are dangerous for the judge (if it ever reaches the bench) can charge both the lawyer and client for contempt for it is a waste of time and resources for the justice system.
Despite the many options and controls, there are still frivolous cases being filed with courts, especially ones with bearing of fraud where false claims are brought upon another party simply to get more cash out of them. This is common in today’s cash strapped world where people will be people and will do anything for an easy buck.

State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is hailed as the first step into the much needed overhaul of the American Health care system which has suffered so much in these past few years that millions upon millions of Americans do not have proper health insurance. Most American families fall in between the gap that does not get them qualified to get state health care for they are earning too much and on the other side, not earning enough to purchase private health care. This is the gap that the bill aims to narrow with additional coverage for 4 million children who are expected to benefit. It will take a couple of years to fully implement and is hailed as one of the first successes in the battle to solve America’s health care system woes towards a better system.

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Euthanasia means good death in Ancient Greek. It is a way of ending another one’s life painlessly. The debate about whether it is moral or not still goes on at this time. There are countries which have already legalized euthanasia. Nations like Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Thailand, Andalusia Spain and some US States like Oregon and Washington. For some, euthanasia is comparable to murder, but some argue it is an act of mercy to the victim or patient. There are different types or classification of euthanasia. Voluntary Euthanasia simply means conducting it with consent from the individual or patient. Involuntary Euthanasia is one when a person decides for the other individual or patient who is not capable of making the decision .

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Medical Malpractice is one major area within health care law in which misconduct or lack of skill in providing medical treatment or services. Through a negligence action, the victims of medical malpractice seek compensation for their physical or emotional injuries, or both.
If the plaintiff patient can establish that there was in fact a patient-physician relationship, the physician may be found liable for medical malpractice. To protect themselves against the massive costs of such claims, they purchase malpractice insurance. Medical malpractice liability can extend to hospitals and even to health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Most states have enacted legislation that modifies the common law action of medical malpractice, in an attempt to stem the rising tide of lawsuits.

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Medicare’s journey can only be matched by the difference Medicare has made in the lives of the elderly and disabled. At the time, growing old meant poverty; growing old meant disability; and growing old meant going without health insurance. It paved a way to help them rise from the twilight of life.

A big percentage of seniors had no insurance for hospital care. Many had to choose between saving their health and spending all they had saved. Too many had to watch the spark of hope fade as they drown into poverty. And too many had to bear the pain of an untreated illness-and a seemingly uncaring nation.

Medicare is a living program- one whose promise will be just as important for each succeeding generation of Americans. But to be able to keep that promise for future generations, for our children and grandchildren, we must continue to strengthen and modernize Medicare.

The fact remains, that thanks to Medicare-young families and young people would no longer have to deplete their own savings and dreams providing for the medical needs of older family members.

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One major area covered by the Health care law is medical malpractice, which is professional misconduct or lack of skill in providing medical treatment or services. The victims of medical malpractice seek compensation for their physical or emotional injuries, or both, through a negligence action.A defendant physician may be found liable for medical malpractice if the plaintiff patient can establish that there was in fact a patient- physician relationship; that the physician breached (violated or departed from) the accepted standard of medical care in the treatment of the patient; that the patient suffered an injury for which she should be compensated; and that the physician’s violation of the standard of care was the cause of the injury.To protect themselves against the huge costs of such claims, physicians commonly purchase malpractice insurance. Physicians’ malpractice premiums total billions of dollars each year and add substantially to the cost of health care in the United States.