Yeah. The big problem over the last 5+ years or so is that while the costs of doing business have been going up for doctors at an alarming rate, their ability to pass those costs on to the consumer has been reduced by the inertia of health insurance companies' rate structures (that must be approved and modified by state commissioners). The process can take 12-18 months after the request is filed, and by then, usually another increase request has to already be filed again. The bureaucracy involved is rediculous. So, what has been happening (very quietly) across the nation is that in many states, doctors simply pull up their stakes and leave. For example, there was a period of about 3 months or so here in Las Vegas where there wasn't a SINGLE emergency room doctor. (No shit, I'm really not kidding). So, if you got shot, run over, or needed emergency care in any way you had to be flown to either Arizona or California by helicopter. The reason was that their malpractice premiums got increased from about $80,000 a year to about triple that.. plus or minus about $300,000 a year. And, without the ability to change their price/rate structure to reflect that change, they had really no choice but to go somewhere else. Some doctors have had to state that they no longer carry malpractice insurance, and that all their patients must sign a waiver acknowledging that fact, and that the patients must all deal directly with their insurance companies. This means no more co-pays or anything like that.. you pay full price at the doctor's office and figure out how much you can get back from your insurance carrier on your own.

As a result of all this, you can actually make a substantially higher income now as a nurse-practicioner or nurse-anesthesiologist because you don't have to pay for malpractice insurance as a nurse.

Roughly 70-90% of every dollar you pay for health insurance is going to pay for malpractice and/or product liability costs. Bullshit, eh? The average cost for "full" health insurance for a family of four is now edging towards $1,000 a month. When compared against the average dual-income family's gross income of $40,000 a year, that represents nearly a THIRD of net income, and that's before a single other expense or bill is paid.

I used to blame the attorneys (and still do to an extent for being enablers), but anymore, I just blame the Sheeple for their willful ignorance and selfish stupidity.