Valleywide Legal Blog

Generic Drug Price Fixing.

“Generic” is the name given to drugs that are not protected by patents.  Anyone can make a generic drug.  Because they are not protected by patents, it is anticipated that competition will drive down the prices of generic drugs to … Read More

Posted in drug companies, Fraud, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Lawsuits, Medical Costs, Medicare, Secrecy |

The Problem With Drug Prices.

There was a good story in the Washington Post earlier this week discussing some of the reasons for our high drug prices.  So why are prices so high?  Why doesn’t our vaunted free market system drive them lower through competition?  While … Read More

Posted in drug companies, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Medical Costs, medical research |

Hospital Consolidation Is Driving Up Health Care Costs.

Last week I wrote about hospitals not knowing exactly what their costs were for various procedures.  Without that information, they cannot make informed decisions about pricing.  Without informed decisions about pricing, there can be no price competition.  There also can … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Fee for Service, General Health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Medical Costs, Medicare, Rationing |

Even Hospitals Don’t Know What Surgery Costs.

In August I wrote a post about why our health care costs keep going up and up and up.  We don’t dictate pricing to hospitals, we rely on the market to set a fair price using supply and demand.  Hospital consolidation, … Read More

Posted in Fee for Service, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, joint replacement, Medical Costs, Secrecy |

Lots of Malpractice – Be Careful Out There.

Regardless of what the medical profession would have you believe, there is a lot of medical malpractice out there.  Many patients are victims but few end up suing.  Most just choose to walk away.  Many more were never told that … Read More

Posted in disclosure of medical mistakes, Doctors, drug companies, Fee for Service, Fraud, Health Care Costs, Lawsuits, Medical Costs, Medical Devices, medical errors, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, Misdiagnosis, Secrecy, Surgical Errors |

Arkansas Supreme Court Tosses Out “Tort Reform” Ballot Measure.

The business and medical communities have been busy over the years pushing laws they claim will end a flood of frivolous lawsuits and unleash a wave of economic growth.  Most of these laws have been aimed primarily at medical malpractice … Read More

Posted in Doctors, Finding a Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Hospital Negligence, Hospitals, Malpractice caps, Malpractice costs, Medical Costs, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases, medical malpractice claims, medical malpractice damages caps, medical malpractice lawsuits, medical malpractice lawyers, medical mistakes, Medical Negligence, plaintiff, tort reform, Verdicts |

I’ll Take Lobbying for $2 Billion, Alex.

The answer is, “They spent $2.3 billion on lobbying over the last 20 years.”  If you answered, “What is the pharmaceutical lobby?,” you won.  Actually, you didn’t win.  You lost because all that drug money flowing into Washington did exactly … Read More

Posted in drug companies, General Health, Health Care Costs, Medical Costs, medical ethics, Medicare |

Big Pharma and You.

Forgive me for getting on my insulin soapbox again.  Because of my young grandson’s Type 1 diabetes, I am very interested in all things Type 1 related.  I am especially interested in what it takes to keep him alive.  Every … Read More

Posted in drug companies, General Health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Medical Costs, Medical Devices, Type 1 Diabetes |

Some Proof of the Existence of Defensive Medicine.

John and I have written about defensive medicine on many occasions in the past.  Here is a link and here is another.  It is our belief that claims by the medical profession about the amount of defensive medicine and its … Read More

Posted in Defensive Medicine, Doctors, Health Care Costs, Hospitals, Malpractice caps, Medical Costs, medical ethics, Medical Malpractice, tort reform |

Why Your Health Care Costs Keep Going Up and Up.

As I have observed before, we in the United States pay the most for health care yet we rank well down the list of developed nations in terms of health care outcomes.  Why aren’t we getting value for the money … Read More

Posted in Doctors, drug companies, Fee for Service, health, Health Care Costs, Health Insurers, Hospitals, Malpractice costs, Medical Costs, Medical Malpractice, medical malpractice cases |