Today’s Wall Street Journal includes the letter below, written by two residents of Pennsylvania who are responding to one of those “things are just fine here on the Titanic” defenses we see so often. They’re talking mainly about the state’s policies that are driving out doctors, but conclude with the general observation that, “Eventually the system implodes when the productive members of society are outnumbered by the free lunch crowd.”

Bravo!

Doctors in Pennsylvania: ‘Let Me Outta Here!’

Donna Cooper’s response (Letters, Nov. 12) to Frederic Jarrett’s Oct. 25 op-ed “Cross Country: Pennsylvania Is Driving Its Doctors Away” is typical Rendellian speak — tax increases have not been used to pay the malpractice premiums of doctors; they have been used to line the pockets of the tort bar — major contributors to Gov. Ed Rendell and other Democrats. Instead of enacting tort reform as Texas did, Pennsylvania raised taxes to subsidize malpractice premiums.

Experienced doctors have been leaving Pennsylvania or retiring early or refusing to practice medicine, which has high liability premiums attached to it. My wife’s Ob/Gyn recently retired because it no longer made sense for him to work given how little he was making after paying insurance premiums. My orthopedic surgeon moved to West Virginia to practice after 20 years in Pennsylvania because he couldn’t afford his malpractice premiums. I visited another orthopedic surgeon only to be given a list of procedures he no longer offers, after 30 years of practicing medicine, because he cannot afford the insurance premiums.

Ms. Cooper’s contention that high malpractice premiums are a temporary problem (the market will improve) because Gov. Rendell is working on tort reform is a canard. Next she will be contending that Pennsylvania’s low population growth, low employment growth and crumbling and unsafe major cities are just temporary problems unrelated to high corporate taxes, unrealistic and self-destructive unions (especially teachers and public employees), an antibusiness government and a powerful tort bar. Lastly, having a program so people have health insurance paid for by someone else does make health care more expensive — when people are given a free ride they have no incentive to take better care of their own health or to make appropriate use of the service. Eventually the system implodes when the productive members of society are outnumbered by the free lunch crowd.

John Paul Kirwin, III
Wayne, Pa.

Frederic Jarrett
Pittsburgh