I’m a daily lurker who rarely posts, but I’ll chime in this time since a WV person is being sought.
I AM from West Virginia. Although, I am currently a college student in neighboring Kentucky (Univ. of Kentucky) but, I am still a WV resident, my parents & many friends live there, etc.
Yes, many doctors are moving out of state or retiring directly as a result of the malpractice insurance costs.
West Virginia has steadily suffered decreasing population and loss of businesses for decades for various reasons. Doctors are simply the latest mass exodus.
My home state is IMO very socially conservative and economically liberal. Voters seem to elect judges who rule in favor of frivolous lawsuits. For example, a car dealership employee in Charleston shows up to work drunk, falls down (on the ground), injures himself, and sues the dealership and wins. WV is a very anti-business state (once again IMO) for reasons like this in addition to high taxes for businesses, the power of unions, and just the liberal culture of this state which arose in the first half of the 20th century primarily as a result of the plight of workers (especially coal miners–a liberal approach which was beneficial 50+ but has long overstayed it’s welcome.
I was shocked about a year ago when I noticed 53 pages of lawyers in the yellow pages of the Charleston area phone book. Keep in mind that Charleston has a population of less than 60k and a handful of suburbs.
I am certain that some medical malpractice lawsuits here in WV are legitimate. I do not recall any specific frivolous malpractice lawsuits but I can assure the SDMB that there is a Doctors’ crisis here. There are hospitals that had OB-GYNs and other specialists 18 months ago that do not have those specialists now. Example- Jackson County General Hospital lost it’s last OB-GYN about a year ago an as far as I know the position has not been filled. Jackson Co. moms-to-be must travel to Charleston (or perhaps Parkersburg) for pre-natal care and birth.
If I can find statistics or other additional information, then I’ll return and cite.
I really hope WV_Woman doesn’t post in this thread. She is an embarrassment to WV and an embarrassment to the human race as a whole.
Article 2 This offers a different perspective on the malpractice issue in WV.
I do not believe the 1 million dollar cap on lawsuit sums is a good solution. Some legitimate claims may very well deserve more than a million dollar settlement. There simply needs to be a reduction in the # of unreasonable lawsuits and/or a reduction in the # of these cases awarded sums. All and all the general culture and prevailing ideology that exists in WV. Of course, this doesn’t happen over night.
I cringe sometimes when I read the Charleston Gazette / Charleston Daily Mail and read about an election in which a county has more votes to count than the number of registered voters.
I live in WV and both myself and my wife are currently seeing doctors for a variety of reasons. Several doctors in our area have made statements about the malpractice insurance crisis, but I can think of only one medical group that has actually ceased practice in WV. The legislature has implemented a plan to allow affordable insurance coverage, and I believe several medical practices are utilizing it.
I should not type in a hurry; that’s not even a complete sentence. What I meant to say is “All and all the general culture and prevailing ideology that exists in WV need to change.”
Well, this is all very interesting. Since i am the one resposible for WV_Woman, considering i am the one who gave birth to her 25 years ago, i must reply. I am very proud that my daughter was the guts to take on the left wing establishment, although i did warn her that she would get no logical debate on the issues that are brought up here. Instead she got insult after insult. It’s the last taboo in this country to be a fundie. Everything else is accepted, nothing is wrong, everyone has the right to their opinion no matter how outrageous it might be, except conservatives. This is all so boringly predictable. I’m outta here too. There’s just no damn point.
Yes, there is an anti-business climate in West Virginia, and for good reason. Do a search on the WV Mine Wars…and we’re talking real war. The Cultural Center in Charleston has a belt-fed, water-cooled Browning M1919 machine gun on display that was used by the State Police to fire on striking miners on Blair Mountain. Big-Business has NOT been our friend…
(Before you dismiss the above as the rantings of a frothing leftist, let me assure you that I am both a fiscal and social conservative…)
I recently spoke to a doctor that I have known for 20 + years. The “luxury automobile” that he drives is the same ratty Dodge van that he had when I first met him. At the clinic he works at, there are 5 OB/GYNs. Thanks to malpractice insurance rates, 4 of them will no longer deliver babies. Their one trauma specialist will be moving his practice to Ohio. This is not an isolated incident.
Finally, with all due respect to JohnW77707, I can do without lawyers a hell of a lot easier than doctors…