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Tort Reform: The Big Payoff for Corporations, Curbing the
Lawsuits that Hold them Accountable
Study: Soaring Medical Bills Account for Half of All U.S.
Bankruptcies
Bush Taps Iran-Contra Figure Elliot Abrams to Promote Democracy
Black History Month Tribute to Paul Robeson
Tort Reform: The Big Payoff for Corporations, Curbing
the Lawsuits that Hold them Accountable
In his State of the Union address, President Bush urged
lawmakers to rewrite tort law rules to do away with class
action lawsuits. We take a look at medical malpractice with
Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice
and Democracy.
In his State of the Union address Wednesday, President Bush
urged lawmakers to rewrite tort law rules to do away with
class action lawsuits he says have become a significant drag
on the economy.
- President Bush, State of the Union address, February
3, 2005:
"To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we
must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the
21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards
are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we're closing
the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand
better results from our high schools, so every high school
diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional
200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by
reforming our job training system and strengthening America's
community colleges. And we'll make it easier for Americans
to afford a college education, by increasing the size of
Pell Grants. To make our economy stronger and more competitive,
America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams
of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement,
especially for women and minorities, so we must free small
businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators
from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy
is held back by irresponsible class-actions and frivolous
asbestos claims -- and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms
this year."
The president won an an initial victory in tort reform yesterday
when a bill sought by corporations to curb class action lawsuits
advanced in the Senate.
The Judiciary committee voted 13 to 5 to approve the measure
and send it to the full Senate, where it will be considered
as early as next week. The bill transfers most class-action
lawsuits from state courts to more stringent federal courts
and is the first in a package of changes to the tort system
sought by the Bush administration.
But Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania is trying
to take the bill one step further. Specter is pushing forward
an amendment to would impose new limits on medical malpractice
lawsuits and would preclude people who claim they have asbestos
poisoning from filing lawsuits.
Asbestos was widely used for fireproofing and insulation
until the 1970s. Studies have shown that inhaled fibers are
linked to cancer and other diseases, and hundreds of thousands
of injury claims have been brought to court.
Study: Soaring Medical Bills Account for Half of
All U.S. Bankruptcies
A new study in the journal Health Affairs has found that
half of all personal bankruptcies in the United States are
now caused by soaring medical bills. We speak with the author
of the report, Dr. Steffie Woolhandler.
In addition to focusing on restructuring Social Security,
President Bush also spoke about the rising costs of healthcare
in this country.
- President Bush, State of the Union address, February
3, 2005:
“To make our economy stronger and more productive,
we must make health care more affordable, and give families
greater access to good coverage -- (applause) -- and more
control over their health decisions. I ask Congress to move
forward on a comprehensive health care agenda with tax credits
to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health
center in every poor county, improved information technology
to prevent medical error and needless costs, association
health plans for small businesses and their employees --
(applause) -- expanded health savings accounts and medical
liability reform that will reduce health care costs and
make sure patients have the doctors and care they need.”
President Bush in his State of the Union address. His comments
come as a new study has found that half of all personal bankruptcies
in the United States are now caused by soaring medical bills.
The Harvard University study - published in the online journal
Health Affairs - estimated medical bankruptcies affect about
2 million Americans every year, including 700,000 children.
Many of those filing for bankruptcy had insurance, at least
at the start of their illness.
- Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, Associate Professor of Medicine
at Harvard University and co-director of the Harvard Medical
School General Internal Medicine Fellowship program. She
is a co-founder of Physicians
for a National Health Program. She co-authored the study
on medical bankruptcies.
Read
the report.
Bush Taps Iran-Contra Figure Elliot Abrams to Promote
Democracy
President Bush promoted Elliott Abrams to be his deputy
national security adviser. played a key role in the Iran-Contra
scandal and pleaded guilty in 1991 to withholding information
from Congress. We speak with veteran investigative journalist
Robert Parry who exposed Iran-Contra in the 1980s.
President Bush promoted Elliott Abrams to be his deputy national
security adviser. He will be responsible for pushing Bush's
strategy of advancing democracy abroad - a central theme in
the president's inaugural address and his State on the Union.
Abrams is a special assistant to the president and was an
assistant secretary of state in the Reagan administration.
He played a key role in the Iran-Contra scandal and pleaded
guilty in 1991 to withholding information from Congress.
- Robert Parry, veteran investigative journalist and author
of the new book "Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the
Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq." For years he
worked as an investigative reporter for both the Associated
Press and Newsweek magazine. His reporting led to the exposure
of what is now known as the "Iran-Contra" scandal.
Black History Month Tribute to Paul Robeson
In this first week of Black History month, we pay tribute
to the great actor, singer, athlete, scholar: Paul Robeson.
We hear a recording of Robeson, courtesy of the Pacifica Radio
Archives. We end today's program at the start of Black History
Month with a tribute to the great actor, singer, athlete,
scholar: Paul Robeson.
The son of an escaped slave, Robeson was attacked, blacklisted
and hounded by the government for his political beliefs. For
years, Robeson was tracked by the FBI as well as the CIA,
Department of State, and numerous other government agencies.
Together they compiled tens of thousands of documents on him,
which they used to bring him before McCarthy"s House
Un-American Activities Committee. In 1949 Robeson was effectively
blacklisted, and in 1950, the government revoked his passport.
For eight years he was barred from travel, a prisoner in his
own country.
During the years he was blacklisted, the songs and words
of Paul Robeson were broadcast by Pacifica Radio. This is
a tribute to him compiled by the Pacifica Radio Archives.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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