I had believed that Measure 35 (the $500,000 limit on non-economic damages for medical malpractice) would fail, until a mole in the pro-35 campaign told me today that Democratic voters are favoring the measure by a modest margin. Given that Republican voters will favor the measure by a wider margin than Democrats (something on which Mr. Mole and I agree), that suggest that the measure will pass. He didn’t tell me about the inside poll results until I had placed a small wager on the outcome; if he’s right, I will be bringing him a small token Wednesday.
Measure 35: a surprise victory in store?
I had believed that Measure 35 (the $500,000 limit on non-economic damages for medical malpractice) would fail, until a mole in the pro-35 campaign told me today that Democratic voters…
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Hmm…small token, eh? Sounds kinda fun…I like small tokens! 🙂
I’ve always figured this one had a good shot. While folks don’t trust any of the big groups in this fight–be they trial lawyers, insurance companies, or hospitals and HMOs, they know they need doctors and see limitations coming in key expertises (obstetricians for those or reproductive age and neurosurgeons for older folks with bad backs…wide spread of customer ages there). While in no way will the limitation cure this complex problem, it will probably keep doctors available, the bottom-line requirement. I think that sells more people than it alienates.
Sheilah, my neighbor conceded with good grace, offering me first a small single-serving bottle (because, he said, it was a small victory), then a standard bottle of a very drinkable California red, which I’m savoring tonight in front of the fireplace.
Gordie, before the election my neighbor and the Secretary-in-Exile separately gave me some ideas about who would support and oppose the measure. I had thought that it would be defeated handily because most voters could imagine themselves being injured by medical malpractice more easily than they could picture themselves becoming doctors, but my neighbor and the S.i.E. said that voters in smaller towns saw themselves and their families not being able to get specialist medical care — obstetrics in particular — because high insurance premiums had driven doctors out of small towns. And in Oregon medical care, all towns are “small” except for Portland metro, Eugene, Salem, and maybe Medford and Bend.