Listen to the entire program<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/home\/graphics\/hot_coffee.jpg\")
In 2003 Texans lost the right to collect more than $250,000 in non-economic damages in medical malpractice suits. That cap on damages was ushered in on a wave of so-called tort-reform advocacy by medical and independent groups, and Governor Rick Perry. Proponents of the ballot initiative claimed high medical costs were directly related to frivolous malpractice lawsuits. Texans were largely convinced that pain and suffering not tallied on a hospital bill were exaggerated in trials, and that juries were manipulated into awarding exorbitant amounts to harmed patients. Governor Perry crusaded for the bill by equating a yes vote as, a \u201cvote for your doctors and for affordable health care.\u201d But earlier this month, the non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen found health care spending has not dropped in Texas since the cap on damages was enacted in 2003. It has been on the rise. Premiums for private insurance in Texas have risen far faster than the national average, and so has medicare spending. The number of uninsured Texans has risen, and the number of primary care physicians per capita has plateaued. Rural communities have seen access to medical care decrease. The new documentary film Hot Coffee looks at, among other consequences of Tort Reform, limited damage awards like Texas’s and finds the only sure outcome is less money for victims of debilitating medical mistakes. The film’s title “Hot Coffee” references the much lampooned lawsuit 1994 by a woman burned by McDonalds coffee. It is a scathing expose of the nationwide campaign for so-called tort reform. Hot Coffee reveals the tort reform agenda is largely financed and pushed by the deep pocketed US Chamber of Commerce, and other industry associations, through astro-turf front groups. The film shows a justice system held hostage by damage caps, mandatory arbitration clauses, and a flood of corporate money buoying the campaign efforts of business friendly judges. Hot Coffee, by film maker Susan Saladoff, should be mandatory viewing for anyone who has ever signed a cell phone contract, relied on the legal system to remedy an injustice, or who doesn’t know the real story behind that spilled cup of hot coffee.<\/p>\n
KPFK Funddrive Thank you Gifts: <\/em><\/p>\nHot Coffee on DVD – $120<\/p>\n
Uprising Fall 2011 4 G USB Memory Stick – $120<\/p>\n
Hot Coffee Pack (includes Hot Coffee and Memory Stick) – $200<\/p>\n
Call 818-985-5735 to make a pledge. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In 2003 Texans lost the right to collect more than $250,000 in non-economic damages in medical malpractice suits. That cap on damages was ushered in on a wave of so-called tort-reform advocacy by medical and independent groups, and Governor Rick Perry. Proponents of the ballot initiative claimed high medical costs were directly related to frivolous […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-program"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25008\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}