Thanks for the doctors, New York
23rd August 2011
Dr. Jackelinne Pilar Villalobos was one of Brooklyn’s few female English and Spanish-speaking obstetricians. She loved the city and her patients, and never wanted to leave — but 18 months ago, she moved to Houston, where we’re delighted to have her.
Villalobos’ journey to Texas began in 2003, when our Legislature reformed Texas’ legal system — including sweeping medical-malpractice reforms. Back then, doctors in New York and Texas were paying about the same for medical-liability insurance. In Villalobos’ case, it was more than $100,000.
But under the Texas reforms, rates immediately began to fall — 15 percent in the first year alone. Since 2003, medical liability rates in New York have increased more than 60 percent; in Texas, they’ve dropped by 54 percent.
I guess these are some of the ‘freeloaders’ we can expect from places like Michigan.
By 2009, Villalobos’ premium was $186,000 — with a rate hike of 5 percent to 12 percent expected within the year. Even delivering as many as 10 babies a day, she couldn’t practice enough medicine to even cover her cost of doing business.
But she didn’t give up. She took a second job in a free clinic so that the clinic would help pay the insurance premiums — and she went to Albany to explain the need for lawsuit reform.
Her sister, a trial attorney in New York, finally told her to “pack her bags and go” — the trial bar has too much influence in Albany, she warned; the law will never change. Reluctantly, Villalobos left for Texas.
No wonder trial lawyers hate Rick Perry.
Meanwhile, New York has used tax dollars to create a “Patient Compensation Fund” as a type of malpractice coverage and a way of inducing physicians to stay in New York. It’s not working — frivolous suits have not abated; it’s just more money flowing to the plaintiff’s bar, this time from the taxpayers.
Of course — New York has some of the finest legislators that money can buy.
August 23rd, 2011 at 09:39
How did Michigan get into this conversation??
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:28
I’m sure it was just an example of another Rust-Belt state destroying it’s economy in order to embrace Socialism and, along the way, driving out the high achievers.
August 23rd, 2011 at 13:08
Last I looked, New York is not a Rust-Belt state. Maybe you need some remedial geography lessons.
August 23rd, 2011 at 13:35
You know, I lived in NY for several years. It’s a big state; not just NYC with some suburbs. If you’d like, I’ll point out the locations of former steel mills and empty manufacturing plants in Buffalo, and Niagara, and Rochester, and Burlington, and Syracuse, and other cities throughout the state. I stand by my description of NY as part of the Rust Belt.
August 23rd, 2011 at 16:40
And I stand by my description of Texas as the–well, never mind. I think you can guess.
And I still don’t know how Michigan got into this conversation about a New Yorker moving to Texas.
August 24th, 2011 at 11:20
Do we need to use smaller words for you, Dennis? Bigger font?
August 24th, 2011 at 14:02
Just make some relevant comments that make sense. That would suffice.