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Jul. 17th, 2009
Something to think about -
Jul. 17th, 2009 10:54 amI'm going to ask you to mindfully think about something you're currently taking for granted, and recast it in a different mindset.
The whole concept of "liability" - and to clarify that, let me toss a few Googles and recent FL posts at you:
The day I joined the gym, a trainer showed me a basic work-out and instructed me on using the machines. She was worrying about liability issues (as she must)...
If I have insurance will I still need to have the renters sign a moonwalk rental agreement and liability waiver?
In most cases the answer is YES. Inflatable game insurance will only cover you if they find that you were negligent in some way. For example the Bouncy Castle rips and a child is seriously injured. You would be responsible for those medical bills and pain and suffering, and most likely pay any attorney fees. On the other hand if your rental agreement states that no one over 12 is allowed in the moonwalk and a child was injured because of this. You would most likely not be held responsible. Because of this most insurance companies require a liability waiver be used.
One-third of physicians said they had chosen not to go into particular specialties due to fears that they would be exposed to higher liability risks. (March 2003 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Addressing the new Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care”)
*raises hand* I swear to you, I can remember a world where this was not the first thing out of your mouth when it came to actually doing something that carried a risk greater than a torn hangnail.
(Last liability waiver signed? Less than a month ago. To sit behind a computer signing people up to sing karaoke at AX. Really really.)
Just what exactly is this all about? (And does it have anything to do with health care reform?)
My best touchstone on this was my experience with Basic Mountaineering Training, offered through the Sierra Club in the mid '80's. (Yes, not even that long ago. We don't have to go very far back to fix what broke with healthcare, folks. Not even thirty years.)
One of the things that class taught was ice axe. By actually tossing you down a frozen slope headfirst. Yup, I did it. Survived it. No injuries. Tada.
The course also dealt with rock climbing (with ropes and without), map and navigation, first aid, survival - very comprehensive. I didn't PASS the class (because I truly did not pass snow camp due to lack of conditioning and equipment - you want more on that, I'll be happy to tell you), but it was something Cliff had gone through as a teen, and later had taught as a class himself. I thought it would be worth the education to keep up with him.
The first thing to happen was the loss of liability insurance. Injuries - serious ones - were not unknown in the history of the course. The point of the training was to prevent them, after all - when learning these things, you might blow it and thunk yourself in the head with the axe, scrape a leg, etc. In this case, the site chosen for training had a runout that went over a pretty nasty scree field - and a student didn't arrest properly while on the ice and hit it facedown. He essentially eviscertated himself on the sharp rocks - while there were trained medical personnel RIGHT THERE and he was evacc'ed out in a hurry - the insurance carrier took a look at that incident and said no more. (He survived, in what condition? No idea. Put a claim in against the liability insurance? Oh hell yes.)
The whole training program followed soon after - I was in the last class to go through. It was a class that had taught thousands over decades. What changed?
The cost of providing medical care. Particularly when no insurance plan allows for the kind of care you're going to need, long-term. Consider what most people need if they become disabled - you may have a stint in the hospital, but once you are 'healed' and considered rehabbed to your highest level of functioning?
YOU GO HOME. Good luck and all that. See ya. Bye. *shoves out door and slams it shut*
There isn't an insurance plan that pays for in-home assistance that isn't directly tied to a medical need - so if you need help getting dressed, fed or whatnot? Maybe you just aren't safe at home alone anymore (paralyzed, TBI, etc.) -
You gotta pay that out of pocket. You may need it to live - but no insurance plan pays for it.
You don't wonder why people sue when you're faced with that - the legal system is the only place left to find the money to keep people alive after they've been left dependent on services due to injury-related disability. And yeah - most insurance companies will dump you as well, so you will HAVE to sue to keep paying your medical costs as well.
Can't sue? Sucks to be you. Most people will try anyway, and there is a whole cadre of the legal profession that works on commission - they don't get you anything, they get bupkis as well. So - the incentive to sue is HIGH. Hey, wanting to live is quite the incentive, neh?
And even if you don't lose, litigation is expensive...just consider what the labor costs are on monitoring a case before it goes before a judge. Because most cases? Aren't heard for years.
Liability. In today's world, it's more feared than any disease. Instead of it being a manged, shared expectation - it's allowed to hover out there at the periphery of every possible interaction like a sword over your head. Sign this - accept that. Pay for this - you can't have that.
If we had a system where basic needs were provided for, unquestioned - think of what that would do to the concept of liability.
If that isn't enough for you - just think of all the ways the concept of liability hits your daily life. How many of your long-term relationships with doctors has been abrupted due to their leaving a healthcare system due to 'liability'? Finding an OB-GYN. Signing arbitration agreements with your provider on starting your relationship with them, instead of just walking in and getting help on getting well again.
How much insurance costs add to your bottom line. And if not that, the cost of handling the waivers.
I read about people getting lost in our local mountains every year and wince a bit. They die up there, for the lack of basic information on what to take with you, when to go and what to do when you DO get in a bind.
For the lack of an education. That I can't even consider passing on because it's too costly. (But people dying? WIN! *facepalms*)
When I think of health care reform, I'm not thinking about people needing to see a doctor at will - I know that you can do that today, and it's manageable.
No, I think of the concept of liability and how it affects every move you make today, healthy or not.
Managing the what-if over a lifetime after injury. What if that wasn't even a question anymore?
The whole concept of "liability" - and to clarify that, let me toss a few Googles and recent FL posts at you:
The day I joined the gym, a trainer showed me a basic work-out and instructed me on using the machines. She was worrying about liability issues (as she must)...
If I have insurance will I still need to have the renters sign a moonwalk rental agreement and liability waiver?
In most cases the answer is YES. Inflatable game insurance will only cover you if they find that you were negligent in some way. For example the Bouncy Castle rips and a child is seriously injured. You would be responsible for those medical bills and pain and suffering, and most likely pay any attorney fees. On the other hand if your rental agreement states that no one over 12 is allowed in the moonwalk and a child was injured because of this. You would most likely not be held responsible. Because of this most insurance companies require a liability waiver be used.
One-third of physicians said they had chosen not to go into particular specialties due to fears that they would be exposed to higher liability risks. (March 2003 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Addressing the new Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care”)
*raises hand* I swear to you, I can remember a world where this was not the first thing out of your mouth when it came to actually doing something that carried a risk greater than a torn hangnail.
(Last liability waiver signed? Less than a month ago. To sit behind a computer signing people up to sing karaoke at AX. Really really.)
Just what exactly is this all about? (And does it have anything to do with health care reform?)
My best touchstone on this was my experience with Basic Mountaineering Training, offered through the Sierra Club in the mid '80's. (Yes, not even that long ago. We don't have to go very far back to fix what broke with healthcare, folks. Not even thirty years.)
One of the things that class taught was ice axe. By actually tossing you down a frozen slope headfirst. Yup, I did it. Survived it. No injuries. Tada.
The course also dealt with rock climbing (with ropes and without), map and navigation, first aid, survival - very comprehensive. I didn't PASS the class (because I truly did not pass snow camp due to lack of conditioning and equipment - you want more on that, I'll be happy to tell you), but it was something Cliff had gone through as a teen, and later had taught as a class himself. I thought it would be worth the education to keep up with him.
The first thing to happen was the loss of liability insurance. Injuries - serious ones - were not unknown in the history of the course. The point of the training was to prevent them, after all - when learning these things, you might blow it and thunk yourself in the head with the axe, scrape a leg, etc. In this case, the site chosen for training had a runout that went over a pretty nasty scree field - and a student didn't arrest properly while on the ice and hit it facedown. He essentially eviscertated himself on the sharp rocks - while there were trained medical personnel RIGHT THERE and he was evacc'ed out in a hurry - the insurance carrier took a look at that incident and said no more. (He survived, in what condition? No idea. Put a claim in against the liability insurance? Oh hell yes.)
The whole training program followed soon after - I was in the last class to go through. It was a class that had taught thousands over decades. What changed?
The cost of providing medical care. Particularly when no insurance plan allows for the kind of care you're going to need, long-term. Consider what most people need if they become disabled - you may have a stint in the hospital, but once you are 'healed' and considered rehabbed to your highest level of functioning?
YOU GO HOME. Good luck and all that. See ya. Bye. *shoves out door and slams it shut*
There isn't an insurance plan that pays for in-home assistance that isn't directly tied to a medical need - so if you need help getting dressed, fed or whatnot? Maybe you just aren't safe at home alone anymore (paralyzed, TBI, etc.) -
You gotta pay that out of pocket. You may need it to live - but no insurance plan pays for it.
You don't wonder why people sue when you're faced with that - the legal system is the only place left to find the money to keep people alive after they've been left dependent on services due to injury-related disability. And yeah - most insurance companies will dump you as well, so you will HAVE to sue to keep paying your medical costs as well.
Can't sue? Sucks to be you. Most people will try anyway, and there is a whole cadre of the legal profession that works on commission - they don't get you anything, they get bupkis as well. So - the incentive to sue is HIGH. Hey, wanting to live is quite the incentive, neh?
And even if you don't lose, litigation is expensive...just consider what the labor costs are on monitoring a case before it goes before a judge. Because most cases? Aren't heard for years.
Liability. In today's world, it's more feared than any disease. Instead of it being a manged, shared expectation - it's allowed to hover out there at the periphery of every possible interaction like a sword over your head. Sign this - accept that. Pay for this - you can't have that.
If we had a system where basic needs were provided for, unquestioned - think of what that would do to the concept of liability.
If that isn't enough for you - just think of all the ways the concept of liability hits your daily life. How many of your long-term relationships with doctors has been abrupted due to their leaving a healthcare system due to 'liability'? Finding an OB-GYN. Signing arbitration agreements with your provider on starting your relationship with them, instead of just walking in and getting help on getting well again.
How much insurance costs add to your bottom line. And if not that, the cost of handling the waivers.
I read about people getting lost in our local mountains every year and wince a bit. They die up there, for the lack of basic information on what to take with you, when to go and what to do when you DO get in a bind.
For the lack of an education. That I can't even consider passing on because it's too costly. (But people dying? WIN! *facepalms*)
When I think of health care reform, I'm not thinking about people needing to see a doctor at will - I know that you can do that today, and it's manageable.
No, I think of the concept of liability and how it affects every move you make today, healthy or not.
Managing the what-if over a lifetime after injury. What if that wasn't even a question anymore?
Something to think about -
Jul. 17th, 2009 10:54 amI'm going to ask you to mindfully think about something you're currently taking for granted, and recast it in a different mindset.
The whole concept of "liability" - and to clarify that, let me toss a few Googles and recent FL posts at you:
The day I joined the gym, a trainer showed me a basic work-out and instructed me on using the machines. She was worrying about liability issues (as she must)...
If I have insurance will I still need to have the renters sign a moonwalk rental agreement and liability waiver?
In most cases the answer is YES. Inflatable game insurance will only cover you if they find that you were negligent in some way. For example the Bouncy Castle rips and a child is seriously injured. You would be responsible for those medical bills and pain and suffering, and most likely pay any attorney fees. On the other hand if your rental agreement states that no one over 12 is allowed in the moonwalk and a child was injured because of this. You would most likely not be held responsible. Because of this most insurance companies require a liability waiver be used.
One-third of physicians said they had chosen not to go into particular specialties due to fears that they would be exposed to higher liability risks. (March 2003 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Addressing the new Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care”)
*raises hand* I swear to you, I can remember a world where this was not the first thing out of your mouth when it came to actually doing something that carried a risk greater than a torn hangnail.
(Last liability waiver signed? Less than a month ago. To sit behind a computer signing people up to sing karaoke at AX. Really really.)
Just what exactly is this all about? (And does it have anything to do with health care reform?)
My best touchstone on this was my experience with Basic Mountaineering Training, offered through the Sierra Club in the mid '80's. (Yes, not even that long ago. We don't have to go very far back to fix what broke with healthcare, folks. Not even thirty years.)
One of the things that class taught was ice axe. By actually tossing you down a frozen slope headfirst. Yup, I did it. Survived it. No injuries. Tada.
The course also dealt with rock climbing (with ropes and without), map and navigation, first aid, survival - very comprehensive. I didn't PASS the class (because I truly did not pass snow camp due to lack of conditioning and equipment - you want more on that, I'll be happy to tell you), but it was something Cliff had gone through as a teen, and later had taught as a class himself. I thought it would be worth the education to keep up with him.
The first thing to happen was the loss of liability insurance. Injuries - serious ones - were not unknown in the history of the course. The point of the training was to prevent them, after all - when learning these things, you might blow it and thunk yourself in the head with the axe, scrape a leg, etc. In this case, the site chosen for training had a runout that went over a pretty nasty scree field - and a student didn't arrest properly while on the ice and hit it facedown. He essentially eviscertated himself on the sharp rocks - while there were trained medical personnel RIGHT THERE and he was evacc'ed out in a hurry - the insurance carrier took a look at that incident and said no more. (He survived, in what condition? No idea. Put a claim in against the liability insurance? Oh hell yes.)
The whole training program followed soon after - I was in the last class to go through. It was a class that had taught thousands over decades. What changed?
The cost of providing medical care. Particularly when no insurance plan allows for the kind of care you're going to need, long-term. Consider what most people need if they become disabled - you may have a stint in the hospital, but once you are 'healed' and considered rehabbed to your highest level of functioning?
YOU GO HOME. Good luck and all that. See ya. Bye. *shoves out door and slams it shut*
There isn't an insurance plan that pays for in-home assistance that isn't directly tied to a medical need - so if you need help getting dressed, fed or whatnot? Maybe you just aren't safe at home alone anymore (paralyzed, TBI, etc.) -
You gotta pay that out of pocket. You may need it to live - but no insurance plan pays for it.
You don't wonder why people sue when you're faced with that - the legal system is the only place left to find the money to keep people alive after they've been left dependent on services due to injury-related disability. And yeah - most insurance companies will dump you as well, so you will HAVE to sue to keep paying your medical costs as well.
Can't sue? Sucks to be you. Most people will try anyway, and there is a whole cadre of the legal profession that works on commission - they don't get you anything, they get bupkis as well. So - the incentive to sue is HIGH. Hey, wanting to live is quite the incentive, neh?
And even if you don't lose, litigation is expensive...just consider what the labor costs are on monitoring a case before it goes before a judge. Because most cases? Aren't heard for years.
Liability. In today's world, it's more feared than any disease. Instead of it being a manged, shared expectation - it's allowed to hover out there at the periphery of every possible interaction like a sword over your head. Sign this - accept that. Pay for this - you can't have that.
If we had a system where basic needs were provided for, unquestioned - think of what that would do to the concept of liability.
If that isn't enough for you - just think of all the ways the concept of liability hits your daily life. How many of your long-term relationships with doctors has been abrupted due to their leaving a healthcare system due to 'liability'? Finding an OB-GYN. Signing arbitration agreements with your provider on starting your relationship with them, instead of just walking in and getting help on getting well again.
How much insurance costs add to your bottom line. And if not that, the cost of handling the waivers.
I read about people getting lost in our local mountains every year and wince a bit. They die up there, for the lack of basic information on what to take with you, when to go and what to do when you DO get in a bind.
For the lack of an education. That I can't even consider passing on because it's too costly. (But people dying? WIN! *facepalms*)
When I think of health care reform, I'm not thinking about people needing to see a doctor at will - I know that you can do that today, and it's manageable.
No, I think of the concept of liability and how it affects every move you make today, healthy or not.
Managing the what-if over a lifetime after injury. What if that wasn't even a question anymore?
The whole concept of "liability" - and to clarify that, let me toss a few Googles and recent FL posts at you:
The day I joined the gym, a trainer showed me a basic work-out and instructed me on using the machines. She was worrying about liability issues (as she must)...
If I have insurance will I still need to have the renters sign a moonwalk rental agreement and liability waiver?
In most cases the answer is YES. Inflatable game insurance will only cover you if they find that you were negligent in some way. For example the Bouncy Castle rips and a child is seriously injured. You would be responsible for those medical bills and pain and suffering, and most likely pay any attorney fees. On the other hand if your rental agreement states that no one over 12 is allowed in the moonwalk and a child was injured because of this. You would most likely not be held responsible. Because of this most insurance companies require a liability waiver be used.
One-third of physicians said they had chosen not to go into particular specialties due to fears that they would be exposed to higher liability risks. (March 2003 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Addressing the new Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care”)
*raises hand* I swear to you, I can remember a world where this was not the first thing out of your mouth when it came to actually doing something that carried a risk greater than a torn hangnail.
(Last liability waiver signed? Less than a month ago. To sit behind a computer signing people up to sing karaoke at AX. Really really.)
Just what exactly is this all about? (And does it have anything to do with health care reform?)
My best touchstone on this was my experience with Basic Mountaineering Training, offered through the Sierra Club in the mid '80's. (Yes, not even that long ago. We don't have to go very far back to fix what broke with healthcare, folks. Not even thirty years.)
One of the things that class taught was ice axe. By actually tossing you down a frozen slope headfirst. Yup, I did it. Survived it. No injuries. Tada.
The course also dealt with rock climbing (with ropes and without), map and navigation, first aid, survival - very comprehensive. I didn't PASS the class (because I truly did not pass snow camp due to lack of conditioning and equipment - you want more on that, I'll be happy to tell you), but it was something Cliff had gone through as a teen, and later had taught as a class himself. I thought it would be worth the education to keep up with him.
The first thing to happen was the loss of liability insurance. Injuries - serious ones - were not unknown in the history of the course. The point of the training was to prevent them, after all - when learning these things, you might blow it and thunk yourself in the head with the axe, scrape a leg, etc. In this case, the site chosen for training had a runout that went over a pretty nasty scree field - and a student didn't arrest properly while on the ice and hit it facedown. He essentially eviscertated himself on the sharp rocks - while there were trained medical personnel RIGHT THERE and he was evacc'ed out in a hurry - the insurance carrier took a look at that incident and said no more. (He survived, in what condition? No idea. Put a claim in against the liability insurance? Oh hell yes.)
The whole training program followed soon after - I was in the last class to go through. It was a class that had taught thousands over decades. What changed?
The cost of providing medical care. Particularly when no insurance plan allows for the kind of care you're going to need, long-term. Consider what most people need if they become disabled - you may have a stint in the hospital, but once you are 'healed' and considered rehabbed to your highest level of functioning?
YOU GO HOME. Good luck and all that. See ya. Bye. *shoves out door and slams it shut*
There isn't an insurance plan that pays for in-home assistance that isn't directly tied to a medical need - so if you need help getting dressed, fed or whatnot? Maybe you just aren't safe at home alone anymore (paralyzed, TBI, etc.) -
You gotta pay that out of pocket. You may need it to live - but no insurance plan pays for it.
You don't wonder why people sue when you're faced with that - the legal system is the only place left to find the money to keep people alive after they've been left dependent on services due to injury-related disability. And yeah - most insurance companies will dump you as well, so you will HAVE to sue to keep paying your medical costs as well.
Can't sue? Sucks to be you. Most people will try anyway, and there is a whole cadre of the legal profession that works on commission - they don't get you anything, they get bupkis as well. So - the incentive to sue is HIGH. Hey, wanting to live is quite the incentive, neh?
And even if you don't lose, litigation is expensive...just consider what the labor costs are on monitoring a case before it goes before a judge. Because most cases? Aren't heard for years.
Liability. In today's world, it's more feared than any disease. Instead of it being a manged, shared expectation - it's allowed to hover out there at the periphery of every possible interaction like a sword over your head. Sign this - accept that. Pay for this - you can't have that.
If we had a system where basic needs were provided for, unquestioned - think of what that would do to the concept of liability.
If that isn't enough for you - just think of all the ways the concept of liability hits your daily life. How many of your long-term relationships with doctors has been abrupted due to their leaving a healthcare system due to 'liability'? Finding an OB-GYN. Signing arbitration agreements with your provider on starting your relationship with them, instead of just walking in and getting help on getting well again.
How much insurance costs add to your bottom line. And if not that, the cost of handling the waivers.
I read about people getting lost in our local mountains every year and wince a bit. They die up there, for the lack of basic information on what to take with you, when to go and what to do when you DO get in a bind.
For the lack of an education. That I can't even consider passing on because it's too costly. (But people dying? WIN! *facepalms*)
When I think of health care reform, I'm not thinking about people needing to see a doctor at will - I know that you can do that today, and it's manageable.
No, I think of the concept of liability and how it affects every move you make today, healthy or not.
Managing the what-if over a lifetime after injury. What if that wasn't even a question anymore?
Something to think about -
Jul. 17th, 2009 10:54 amI'm going to ask you to mindfully think about something you're currently taking for granted, and recast it in a different mindset.
The whole concept of "liability" - and to clarify that, let me toss a few Googles and recent FL posts at you:
The day I joined the gym, a trainer showed me a basic work-out and instructed me on using the machines. She was worrying about liability issues (as she must)...
If I have insurance will I still need to have the renters sign a moonwalk rental agreement and liability waiver?
In most cases the answer is YES. Inflatable game insurance will only cover you if they find that you were negligent in some way. For example the Bouncy Castle rips and a child is seriously injured. You would be responsible for those medical bills and pain and suffering, and most likely pay any attorney fees. On the other hand if your rental agreement states that no one over 12 is allowed in the moonwalk and a child was injured because of this. You would most likely not be held responsible. Because of this most insurance companies require a liability waiver be used.
One-third of physicians said they had chosen not to go into particular specialties due to fears that they would be exposed to higher liability risks. (March 2003 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Addressing the new Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care”)
*raises hand* I swear to you, I can remember a world where this was not the first thing out of your mouth when it came to actually doing something that carried a risk greater than a torn hangnail.
(Last liability waiver signed? Less than a month ago. To sit behind a computer signing people up to sing karaoke at AX. Really really.)
Just what exactly is this all about? (And does it have anything to do with health care reform?)
My best touchstone on this was my experience with Basic Mountaineering Training, offered through the Sierra Club in the mid '80's. (Yes, not even that long ago. We don't have to go very far back to fix what broke with healthcare, folks. Not even thirty years.)
One of the things that class taught was ice axe. By actually tossing you down a frozen slope headfirst. Yup, I did it. Survived it. No injuries. Tada.
The course also dealt with rock climbing (with ropes and without), map and navigation, first aid, survival - very comprehensive. I didn't PASS the class (because I truly did not pass snow camp due to lack of conditioning and equipment - you want more on that, I'll be happy to tell you), but it was something Cliff had gone through as a teen, and later had taught as a class himself. I thought it would be worth the education to keep up with him.
The first thing to happen was the loss of liability insurance. Injuries - serious ones - were not unknown in the history of the course. The point of the training was to prevent them, after all - when learning these things, you might blow it and thunk yourself in the head with the axe, scrape a leg, etc. In this case, the site chosen for training had a runout that went over a pretty nasty scree field - and a student didn't arrest properly while on the ice and hit it facedown. He essentially eviscertated himself on the sharp rocks - while there were trained medical personnel RIGHT THERE and he was evacc'ed out in a hurry - the insurance carrier took a look at that incident and said no more. (He survived, in what condition? No idea. Put a claim in against the liability insurance? Oh hell yes.)
The whole training program followed soon after - I was in the last class to go through. It was a class that had taught thousands over decades. What changed?
The cost of providing medical care. Particularly when no insurance plan allows for the kind of care you're going to need, long-term. Consider what most people need if they become disabled - you may have a stint in the hospital, but once you are 'healed' and considered rehabbed to your highest level of functioning?
YOU GO HOME. Good luck and all that. See ya. Bye. *shoves out door and slams it shut*
There isn't an insurance plan that pays for in-home assistance that isn't directly tied to a medical need - so if you need help getting dressed, fed or whatnot? Maybe you just aren't safe at home alone anymore (paralyzed, TBI, etc.) -
You gotta pay that out of pocket. You may need it to live - but no insurance plan pays for it.
You don't wonder why people sue when you're faced with that - the legal system is the only place left to find the money to keep people alive after they've been left dependent on services due to injury-related disability. And yeah - most insurance companies will dump you as well, so you will HAVE to sue to keep paying your medical costs as well.
Can't sue? Sucks to be you. Most people will try anyway, and there is a whole cadre of the legal profession that works on commission - they don't get you anything, they get bupkis as well. So - the incentive to sue is HIGH. Hey, wanting to live is quite the incentive, neh?
And even if you don't lose, litigation is expensive...just consider what the labor costs are on monitoring a case before it goes before a judge. Because most cases? Aren't heard for years.
Liability. In today's world, it's more feared than any disease. Instead of it being a manged, shared expectation - it's allowed to hover out there at the periphery of every possible interaction like a sword over your head. Sign this - accept that. Pay for this - you can't have that.
If we had a system where basic needs were provided for, unquestioned - think of what that would do to the concept of liability.
If that isn't enough for you - just think of all the ways the concept of liability hits your daily life. How many of your long-term relationships with doctors has been abrupted due to their leaving a healthcare system due to 'liability'? Finding an OB-GYN. Signing arbitration agreements with your provider on starting your relationship with them, instead of just walking in and getting help on getting well again.
How much insurance costs add to your bottom line. And if not that, the cost of handling the waivers.
I read about people getting lost in our local mountains every year and wince a bit. They die up there, for the lack of basic information on what to take with you, when to go and what to do when you DO get in a bind.
For the lack of an education. That I can't even consider passing on because it's too costly. (But people dying? WIN! *facepalms*)
When I think of health care reform, I'm not thinking about people needing to see a doctor at will - I know that you can do that today, and it's manageable.
No, I think of the concept of liability and how it affects every move you make today, healthy or not.
Managing the what-if over a lifetime after injury. What if that wasn't even a question anymore?
The whole concept of "liability" - and to clarify that, let me toss a few Googles and recent FL posts at you:
The day I joined the gym, a trainer showed me a basic work-out and instructed me on using the machines. She was worrying about liability issues (as she must)...
If I have insurance will I still need to have the renters sign a moonwalk rental agreement and liability waiver?
In most cases the answer is YES. Inflatable game insurance will only cover you if they find that you were negligent in some way. For example the Bouncy Castle rips and a child is seriously injured. You would be responsible for those medical bills and pain and suffering, and most likely pay any attorney fees. On the other hand if your rental agreement states that no one over 12 is allowed in the moonwalk and a child was injured because of this. You would most likely not be held responsible. Because of this most insurance companies require a liability waiver be used.
One-third of physicians said they had chosen not to go into particular specialties due to fears that they would be exposed to higher liability risks. (March 2003 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report, “Addressing the new Health Care Crisis: Reforming the Medical Litigation System to Improve the Quality of Health Care”)
*raises hand* I swear to you, I can remember a world where this was not the first thing out of your mouth when it came to actually doing something that carried a risk greater than a torn hangnail.
(Last liability waiver signed? Less than a month ago. To sit behind a computer signing people up to sing karaoke at AX. Really really.)
Just what exactly is this all about? (And does it have anything to do with health care reform?)
My best touchstone on this was my experience with Basic Mountaineering Training, offered through the Sierra Club in the mid '80's. (Yes, not even that long ago. We don't have to go very far back to fix what broke with healthcare, folks. Not even thirty years.)
One of the things that class taught was ice axe. By actually tossing you down a frozen slope headfirst. Yup, I did it. Survived it. No injuries. Tada.
The course also dealt with rock climbing (with ropes and without), map and navigation, first aid, survival - very comprehensive. I didn't PASS the class (because I truly did not pass snow camp due to lack of conditioning and equipment - you want more on that, I'll be happy to tell you), but it was something Cliff had gone through as a teen, and later had taught as a class himself. I thought it would be worth the education to keep up with him.
The first thing to happen was the loss of liability insurance. Injuries - serious ones - were not unknown in the history of the course. The point of the training was to prevent them, after all - when learning these things, you might blow it and thunk yourself in the head with the axe, scrape a leg, etc. In this case, the site chosen for training had a runout that went over a pretty nasty scree field - and a student didn't arrest properly while on the ice and hit it facedown. He essentially eviscertated himself on the sharp rocks - while there were trained medical personnel RIGHT THERE and he was evacc'ed out in a hurry - the insurance carrier took a look at that incident and said no more. (He survived, in what condition? No idea. Put a claim in against the liability insurance? Oh hell yes.)
The whole training program followed soon after - I was in the last class to go through. It was a class that had taught thousands over decades. What changed?
The cost of providing medical care. Particularly when no insurance plan allows for the kind of care you're going to need, long-term. Consider what most people need if they become disabled - you may have a stint in the hospital, but once you are 'healed' and considered rehabbed to your highest level of functioning?
YOU GO HOME. Good luck and all that. See ya. Bye. *shoves out door and slams it shut*
There isn't an insurance plan that pays for in-home assistance that isn't directly tied to a medical need - so if you need help getting dressed, fed or whatnot? Maybe you just aren't safe at home alone anymore (paralyzed, TBI, etc.) -
You gotta pay that out of pocket. You may need it to live - but no insurance plan pays for it.
You don't wonder why people sue when you're faced with that - the legal system is the only place left to find the money to keep people alive after they've been left dependent on services due to injury-related disability. And yeah - most insurance companies will dump you as well, so you will HAVE to sue to keep paying your medical costs as well.
Can't sue? Sucks to be you. Most people will try anyway, and there is a whole cadre of the legal profession that works on commission - they don't get you anything, they get bupkis as well. So - the incentive to sue is HIGH. Hey, wanting to live is quite the incentive, neh?
And even if you don't lose, litigation is expensive...just consider what the labor costs are on monitoring a case before it goes before a judge. Because most cases? Aren't heard for years.
Liability. In today's world, it's more feared than any disease. Instead of it being a manged, shared expectation - it's allowed to hover out there at the periphery of every possible interaction like a sword over your head. Sign this - accept that. Pay for this - you can't have that.
If we had a system where basic needs were provided for, unquestioned - think of what that would do to the concept of liability.
If that isn't enough for you - just think of all the ways the concept of liability hits your daily life. How many of your long-term relationships with doctors has been abrupted due to their leaving a healthcare system due to 'liability'? Finding an OB-GYN. Signing arbitration agreements with your provider on starting your relationship with them, instead of just walking in and getting help on getting well again.
How much insurance costs add to your bottom line. And if not that, the cost of handling the waivers.
I read about people getting lost in our local mountains every year and wince a bit. They die up there, for the lack of basic information on what to take with you, when to go and what to do when you DO get in a bind.
For the lack of an education. That I can't even consider passing on because it's too costly. (But people dying? WIN! *facepalms*)
When I think of health care reform, I'm not thinking about people needing to see a doctor at will - I know that you can do that today, and it's manageable.
No, I think of the concept of liability and how it affects every move you make today, healthy or not.
Managing the what-if over a lifetime after injury. What if that wasn't even a question anymore?