Intitiative protects us from bad doctors

Published 9:00 pm Friday, October 21, 2005

There is a problem with medical malpractice suits in Washington state. Currently there are two initiatives that are designed to address this problem. The first, I-330, will protect doctors and their insurance companies from big malpractice suits. It’s no surprise that this initiative is supported by doctors. It was written by doctors and their malpractice insurance providers specifically to protect them, not their patients.

The second, I-336, would protect us, the patients, from the malpractice that leads to the suits. It would provide us with the information necessary to be informed consumers. If you knew your surgeon had made the same deadly mistake eight times, would you choose that person for your surgery? Today you can’t find out that sort of information about a doctor. You can find out how many complaints have been filed against your mechanic or hairdresser, but not about your doctor. I-330 won’t change that.

I-336 would also make it easier for the truly bad doctors, the 1 or 2 percent of doctors who cost insurance companies millions each year to pay for their mistakes, to have their licenses revoked. Doctors who lose their licenses in other states would no longer be welcomed in Washington with open arms, and closed files.

Malpractice insurers are making record profits right now. They support I-330 to squeeze out more profits at the expense of us, the patients, and without fixing the real problems with malpractice – the bad doctors that cause most of the lawsuits.

I-330 protects doctors and their insurance companies. I-336 protects everyone else.

Mark Indrebo

Everett