But the doctor only has to pay $250 thousand in damages!

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Linda McDougal was told she had breast cancer, so she underwent a double mastectomy, and then the news got worse. Doctors admitted it was all a mistake -- she never had cancer, and the surgery was completely unnecessary.

After we kill all the trial lawyers and cap damages at $250 thousand (paid out over time) who will take care of Linda McDougal?

Here's an interesting exchange between the reporter Carol Costello and McDougal's attorney Chris Meserly:

COSTELLO: Before I talk to hospital officials -- do you plan to sue?

MESSERLY: Absolutely. However, President Bush intends to add additional harm to Linda and other victims. I mean, 98,000 people per year die of medical malpractice, not to mention the hundreds of thousands that are injured, and the president wants to tell them, I don't care what you've been through, we're going to put a cap on your damages of $250,000.

COSTELLO: And of course, the reason he's doing that is because there are many frivolous lawsuits filed, and doctor's bills are getting ever more expensive.

[So much for liberal bias in the media.]

MESSERLY: But putting a cap on that will do nothing at all to reduce that, and California has proved that. They put a cap on years ago, and malpractice premiums have gone up and up and up until insurance reform came through.

See here's the thing that I don't get: I can barely afford health insurance for myself and my kids. And at the same time doctors can barely afford malpractice insurance to cover their practices.

What's wrong with this picture?