[extropy-chat] Health data

[Robin Hanson]

At 07:28 AM 6/17/2006, Amara Graps wrote:
>When I was in the States in December and needing antibiotics and a
>doctor visit, the doctor at the neighborhood clinic (private, walk-in,
>services) profusely apologized for how expensive was his visit +
>antibiotics. He said that if there were not the high cost malpractice
>lawsuits, he could charge reasonable fees for his services. My Italy
>private doctor treatment two weeks before that visit for the equivalent
>service was about ~1/3 the US private doctor cost. I don't think
>that malpractice suits exist here, at least I've not heard about it.
>(lack of legal system to support it, maybe)

That US doctor was exaggerating.

"Malpractice insurance costs amount to only 3.2 percent of the 
average physician's revenues. "
http://www.medicalmalpractice.com/National-Medical-Malpractice-Facts.cfm



Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323