THE NEEDED GOOD FAITH COMPROMISE

It is no coincidence that over seventy percent of all our legislatures are lawyers--it is a testament as to where power and influence lie. In addition, if one would also do the research, you will find that most of our presidents have been lawyers, including the current president. Notwithstanding the countless lawyer jokes or what Shakespeare had to say about them in his works or what Jesus, The Christ, said about them in the Gospel of Luke, these lawyers still hold sway in the halls of power. This undue influence that lawyers have on our legislative process is pronounced in our current, protracted debate on health-care reform. Both Republican and Democrat have this stumbling block of lawyers working on their behalf. For years, the Democrats have been beholden to the largess of the trial lawyers and have done nothing to curtail the spate of litigation (Tort Reform) borne out of the lucrative medical malpractice. I am not advocating that doctors, who do harm, via negligence to their patients, should not be held liable, but said patients should not be made instant millionaires. This adversely affects insurance rates and ultimately the general care in the medical field. Lest our Republicans friends start cheering, you too are beholden to the lawyers who represent the insurance companies. This means that the insurance companies, via their insurance lobbyist lawyers, thwart legislation to curtail reform that would benefit the consumer. This Mexican stand-off between those who oppose tort reform and those advocating on the part of the insurance companies have been holding health-care reform hostage for quite sometime. There is a template in Mississippi on how this would work and the empirical evidence so far bodes well for lawyers and consumers alike. If only this compromise could take root nationally…so that the public at large does not suffer. I am reminded that when Spock died in the Star Trek movie, “The Wrath of Khan,” when he was asked why he made the ultimate sacrifice, the Vulcan Spock replied that, “The need of many outweighs the needs of the few or the one. I hope that my fellow lawyers take note.

-Verily Prime