Atlanta Personal Injury Blog

About half of American working people live paycheck to paycheck, so for many people, the thought of going even one week without being able to work due to an injury is a very big deal. When you are injured on the job, it is bad enough that you are in pain physically, but you also have to concern yourself with the legalities of the workers compensation system. Many people assume that if they are injured on the job, all they have to do is go to the doctor for treatment and follow doctor’s orders until they are back on their feet and cleared by the doctor to go back to work. They also assume that the system is there to serve them in this unfortunate event, and that they will receive a workers compensation check to help cover their expenses while they are recuperating. Unfortunately, this is a rather naive and unrealistic viewpoint.

The reality is that the workers compensation system in this country has been broken by insurance companies who pressure doctors to slant their findings. They finance examinations that invariably support the interests of the company at the expense of the worker. Certainly that comes as a surprise to you, right? The New York Times reports that the doctors who conduct supposedly “independent” exams are physicians who are found by, believe it or not, “brokers” who are hired by insurance companies, presumably to find doctors who understand who is buttering their bread. Some of these physicians see twenty or more injured workers who are seeking workers compensation benefits in a day. It is, apparently, a sweet gig.

A 75-year-old semi-retired Queens orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Alan Zimmerman, had this to say about the qualifications that one needs to become an independent workers compensation medical examiner:

“Basically if you haven’t murdered anyone and you have a medical license, you get certified. It’s clearly a nice way to semi-retire.”

That is, if you consistently find in favor of the insurance companies and against the interests of the injured workers. What qualities would you think the “brokers” who find these examiners for the insurance companies would be looking for?

“If you did a truly pure report, you’d be out on your ears and the insurers wouldn’t pay for it. You have to give them what they want…that’s the game, baby,” said Dr. Hershel Samuels, who is an independent medical examiner in New York.

If you have been injured on the job and you need to file, or have already filed, a workers compensation claim, you have an uphill battle ahead of you. A good workers compensation attorney can help you to wade through the maze and get you treatment that you need to get well and the financial assistance that you need to pay your bills until you can get back to work with a clean bill of health. Call the premier atlanta personal injury attorney today: 404-522-7553

If the AIG bailout and the obscene excesses of their top executives makes your blood boil, you are certainly not alone. In the minds of the decision makers at AIG, there should be no limit to the amount of compensation that one may receive for guiding a corporate behemoth into financial ruin, but there sure as hell ought to be a limit on the amount of punitive damages a victim of medical malpractice can receive.

AIG has led the big insurance industry lobby that has been pushing for “tort reform” since the 1980s, financing the notion that “greedy lawyers” who file “frivolous malpractice lawsuits” are driving up the cost of healthcare for all Americans. This is pure hogwash.

“The evidence available to date does not make a strong case that restricting malpractice liability would have a significant effect , either positive or negative, on economic efficiency.” — Congressional Budget Office (Source: Non-Partisan Annenberg Political Fact Check)

The man who was calling the shots at AIG before the collapse was their CEO, Mr. Martin J. Sullivan. His resignation became effective on July 1st, 2008. Gosh, you know, we hate to see anybody out of a job, but we sure hope that Mr. Sullivan was able to land on his feet. I suppose the $47 million severance package that he received, (financed by you and me) might help him to weather the storm until he can find something else. I guess compensatory limits only apply to CEOs, not paraplegics.

AIG was gambling with risky securities while paying themselves countless millions of dollars as their lobbyists, and subsequently, our elected officials, were telling us that our health care costs were being negatively impacted by “the lawyers” who were consistently filing “frivolous” lawsuits. In reality, it was trite to think that insurance claims of any kind were relevant at all. The whole “tort reform movement” is nothing less than a disingenuous marketing blitz. The truth is that this phony “tort reform” campaign has never been aimed at the “greedy lawyers,” like the ads try to tell you. It is sad to say it, but big insurance companies like AIG, and the politicians that their lobbyists influence, have been trying their level best to protect their own interests at the expense of the injured parties who are the victims of medical malpractice.

“This liability system, I’m telling you, is out of control. Because the system is so unpredictable, there is a constant risk of being hit by a massive jury award. It’s costly for the doctors, it’s costly for small businesses, it’s costly for hospitals, it is really costly for patients.” — George W. Bush

The next time you hear a politician say something like this, ask yourself, if you lose multiple limbs due to medical malpractice, would you feel as though $250,000 would cover the punitive damages? That is what “tort reform” is all about. When you think tort reform…think AIG.

If you have been a victim of medical malpractice and need an Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer, you need an experienced attorney who is passionate about defending your right to reasonable compensatory and punitive damages. Call The People’s Lawyer, Bruce Hagen, at (404) 522-7553 or simply fill out the contact form on the website and you can be certain that your medical malpractice case will be aggressively pursued and satisfactorily resolved.