to Veterinarians: why do you cost as much as people doctors but don't have the expense of malpractice insuran

Answer 1

First of all, we don't cost anywhere NEAR as much as 'people doctors'....can you get an ovariohysterectomy on a woman for $100-250???? Even just getting a woman's tubes "tied" (a much simpler procedure) is several thousand dollars.

And we DO have the expense of malpractice insurance, which isn't cheap.

Go to my post in this thread for more info:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061010112243AA1TYLc&r=w


Thanks for going into the human vs. pet insurance differences, Clovicat....I don't have the energy after performing 15 surgeries today, LOL.

Answer 2

Well, we don't actually charge anywhere near as much as doctors, but you don't really see that because human insurance covers most of the cost to the patient.

But as for malpractice insurance, the answer is easy. We do have it, because we do make mistakes, or people think that we do, so we need protection. But our national organization that provides the insurance thinks the same way that we do. Our reputation is very important to our business, because we cannot count on referrals based on insurance type. So if someone is suing us, and we believe that we are in the right, our lawyers will investigate and go to court to defend us as long as we want them to. They do not routinely settle to make the lawsuit go away.

This keeps the frivolous lawsuits from getting past the first stages, because people looking for easy money realize that we are not going to roll over easily, and they could wind up with significant court costs. Of course, legitimate cases still get dealt with, and if the vet wants to settle, then the lawyers settle.

If only human medicine would have adopted this policy, they would not have 100x the malpractice costs that we do. Too bad. But we can at least learn from them.

Now I do think that there are times that vets are incorrect, and it is good to have insurance to cover you when you need it, but I think it allows us to breathe a bit easier that we don't usually get hit with silly and stupid lawsuits from people who just want money.

By the way, bladedogs - Bite me! You are such a bonehead.

PS - thanks for the kudos, Liz!

Answer 3

Vets do not charge as much as human doctors. I don't know what vet you are using. They have malpractice insurance. Do you not understand the amount of school loans vets have? They don't get paid much at all after their overhead and stuff.

Answer 4

Because medicine is expensive and they have to pay for specialized equipment not only once like in people hospitals an clinics but for every size and type of animal they treat.

Answer 5

To be honest, I have more respect for vets than people doctors. They need to go to go to college and veterinary school, too, not to mention they have to learn more than just human deseases. All animals are not alike. what may be a good treatment for a cat may not work for a dog, rabbit . bird, or snake.

PS. You're very welcome :-)

Answer 6

Good question! Stupid vets......