There is a lot of interesting discussion going on regarding medical malpractice insurance. Kevin Drum has a lengthy analysis of the data (and links to this data if you want to work with it directly) and Dwight Meredith puts the $4.2 billion annual payout in perspective. Dwight has also provided some insight into eliminating frivolous lawsuits that is worth another read.

Bottom line: there may be a problem but it is not near what it is being made out to be and there are much bigger fish to fry that would have much more significant long term benefits.

US health care costs are going to rise. Costs rise when demand outstrips supply and barring significant changes in treatment or, better yet, some dramatic cultural changes demand for health care will increasingly outstrip supply over the next 50 years.

The Center for Disease Control says that

One in three U.S. children born in 2000 will become diabetic unless many more people start eating less and exercising more, a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.

This means our diabetic population increases from 17 million today to 45-50 million by 2050. A tremendous increase in demand!

And, you do not want to be black or hispanic:

The odds are worse for black and Hispanic children: Nearly half of them are likely to develop the disease

For Mexicans the problem is significant whether they are in the US or at home.