"Nancy Kress - The Mountain to Mohammed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kress Nancy)

office lined with second-hand law books. "The hospital purchased malpractice
coverage for its staff, including residents. In doing so, it entered into a contract with
certain obligations and exclusions for each side. If a specific incident falls under
these exclusions, the contract is not in force with regard to that incident. One such
exclusion is that residents will not be covered if they treat uninsured persons unless
such treatment occurs within the hospital setting or the resident has reasonable
grounds to assume that such a person is insured. Those are not the circumstances
you described to me."
"No," Jesse said. He had the sensation that the law books were falling off the
top shelves, slowly but inexorably, like small green and brown glaciers. Outside, he
had the same sensation about the tops of buildings.
"Therefore, you are not covered by any malpractice insurance. Another set of
facts: Over the last five years jury decisions in malpractice cases have averaged 85%
in favor of plaintiffs. Insurance companies and legislatures are made up of
insurables, Dr. Randall. However, juries are still drawn by lot from the general
citizenry. Most of the educated general citizenry finds ways to get out of jury duty.
They always did. Juries are likely to be 65% or more uninsurables. It's the last place
the have-nots still wield much real power, and they use it."
"You're saying I'm dead," Jesse said numbly. "They'll find me guilty."
The little lawyer looked pained. "Not 'dead,' Doctor. ConvictedтАФmost
probably. But conviction isn't death. Not even professional death. The hospital
may or may not dismiss youтАФthey have that rightтАФbut you can still finish your
training elsewhere. And malpractice suits, however they go, are not of themselves
grounds for denial of a medical license. You can still be a doctor."
"Treating who?" Jesse cried. He threw up his hands. The books fell slightly
faster. "If I'm convicted I'll have to declare bankruptcyтАФthere's no way I could pay
a jury settlement like that! And even if I found another residency at some third-rate
hospital in Podunk, no decent practitioner would ever accept me as a partner. I'd
have to practice alone, without money to set up more than a hole-in-the corner office
among God-knows-who...and even that's assuming I can find a hospital that will let
me finish. All because I wanted to help people who are getting shit on!"
The lawyer took off his glasses and rubbed the lenses thoughtfully with a tissue.
"Maybe," he said, "they're shitting back."
"What?"
 "You haven't asked about the specific charges, Doctor."
"Malpractice! The brat died!"
The lawyer said, "Of massive scaramine allergic reaction."
The anger leeched out of Jesse. He went very quiet.
"She was allergic to scaramine," the lawyer said. "You failed to ascertain that.
A basic medical question."
"IтАФ" The words wouldn't come out. He saw again the laminated genescan
chart, the detailed analysis of chromosome 11. A camera clicking, recording that he
was there. The hysterical woman, the mother, exploding from the back room:
noooooooooo... The father standing frozen, his eyes downcast.
It wasn't possible.
Nobody would kill their own child. Not to discredit one of the fortunate ones,
the haves, the insurables, the employables...No one would do that.
The lawyer was watching him carefully, glasses in hand.
Jesse said, "Dr. Michael CassidyтАФ" and stopped.
"Dr. Cassidy what?" the lawyer said.