- "Political malpractice": "Among the countless words that have been written or said about Florida's so-called medical malpractice crisis, these are the mere 25 that made a profound difference this week: 'Do you swear or affirm that the evidence you are about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?' Prefaced with that question, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee virtually demolished the argument that patients' rights must be sacrificed if there is to be an an affordable insurance market for doctors and physicians"
- "Put cap on malpractice propaganda": "[A]t some point, Gov. Bush will have to decide whether he intends to keep promulgating a myth or to acknowledge reality."
Malpractice - No Deal (Yet) - "Republican leaders in the Senate and Gov. Jeb Bush remained split late Tuesday over how far to limit medical malpractice awards, signaling a stalemate could scuttle the second special legislative session the governor has ordered to curtail rising insurance rates for the state's doctors."
"The ongoing feud has sparked a remarkable division within the GOP. Senators on Tuesday continued to blame Bush for the standoff, saying he refuses to budge from a $250,000 cap on jury awards. The session is scheduled to end today, but Bush has made it clear he will continue recalling legislators until they settle the problem." "Malpractice caps still a sticking point".
Bush Is The Problem - "'We could have had an agreement with the House and could have had it for some time now if not for the governor,' said Sen. Tom Lee, the Brandon Republican in charge of negotiations on malpractice legislation for the Senate." See "Lawmakers race the clock on lawsuit caps".
Bush Signs Workers' Comp Law Written By Insurance Industry - "Democratic lawmakers said the law will hurt Floridians by restricting total disability payments to those who can't work because of catastrophic injuries, such as the loss of a limb, or those who are unable to find a sedentary job within 50 miles of their home. 'It is a totally unfair bill written by insurance companies to benefit insurance companies,' said Rep. Stacy Ritter, D-Coral Springs. Ritter also said there is no guarantee that insurance companies will reduce rates since the legislation doesn't mandate rate rollbacks. She also said the law doesn't limit fees for defense attorneys while restricting them for plaintiff's attorneys." See "Bush signs workers compensation legislation into law".
Bush Wants Abortion Issue On 2004 Ballot, But Why? "Bush said Tuesday lawmakers should put a constitutional amendment on the 2004 ballot that would require pregnant minors to tell their parents before getting an abortion, but thinks a decision can wait until next year." See "Bush: Abortion Parental Notice Can Wait". Bush obviously believes that the abortion issue on the ballot in 2004 will help turnout for his brother.
Talk About Missing The Point - "Missing the point". The brain trust on the Florida Times Union editorial board is at it again.
More Malpractice - "Proponents of placing caps on non- economic damages in medical malpractice cases had yet another opportunity to prove their contention that the caps will lead to lower malpractice premiums for doctors. But at a Florida Senate hearing Monday afternoon, little hard evidence to support that assertion could be heard in sworn testimony." See "Caps are no cure Limiting damages won't resolve malpractice crisis".