Malpractice Rates: Who's to Blame?
I was very disappointed in "Maryland: A Red State?" [The System, Sept. 7]. It was difficult to really find out what was happening.
Apparently Jeannette Akhter didn't quit primarily for insurance costs, so why was she a main focus of the article? She has apparently had two claims in the last 29 years if she gets the current third one dropped. That doesn't seem to be a surge of frivolous lawsuits, but it's difficult to say since you don't give us that information. What was the basis of the suits? How much was paid out, if any? How many babies does she deliver each year? If she is paying $75,000 to $85,000 per year for insurance with two claims in 29 years -- implied by your article since those are the only figures given -- I think it makes the case for those who say that it's primarily an insurance company problem and not primarily related to malpractice. For the Capital Women's Care group, how many physicians are involved? How many suits have they been involved in and what was paid out? With 7,000 deliveries, it would seem that they could self-insure if they have confidence in their people and they haven't had major payouts.
We need better and more complete information in order to make good decisions about what needs to happen. I don't think your article contributed to a better understanding of the problem.
Raymond E. Meyer
Falls Church
Bile Aside, Thanks for Noticing
Thank you for the positive reviews of "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands" and "Woman Power" in "All the Queen's Men" [Sept. 14]. I wonder, though, whether it would be possible for a feminist to review my work without the vitriolic, hate-filled, mean-spirited personal attack on me? It just might be an interesting assignment.
Laura Schlessinger
Sherman Oaks, Calif.
