Dear Editor: MICRA (the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act), which means compensation for pain and suffering, has been capped at $250,000, which kept the cost of medical care under some control for many years.

Now the greedy trial lawyers want to increase their own profit at the expense of healthcare providers, patients and taxpayers by raising this limit to $1.1 million.

This aspect did not pull well with the smart California voters so they played with cynical and manipulative wording on the ballot measure, thinking it would trick the voters to pass their proposition. So they added two points that would delay and make medical practice unrealistic:

Mandatory drug and alcohol testing for all physicians

To prevent dispensing any pain medication except after clearing it through a state-run database, which would delay the care and be unrealistic to implement.

So please go to NoOn46.com and tell your friends to vote no on Proposition 46 because it is damaging to medical care in California and, as you know, if it passes, other states will follow California.

Dr. Shahira A-Malek

Downey

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Published: Oct. 23, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 28