CA Prop. 46 pits doctors against lawyers

Most doctors would face random drug tests, just like truck drivers and pilots. Payouts for medical malpractice would more than quadruple. Doctors would have to check a database to see what drugs patients have already been prescribed before issuing any new prescriptions. Those are the three components of Proposition 46, a statewide measure on the Nov. 4 ballot that is the subject of a heated and expensive battle pitting doctors against lawyers. Supporters of Prop. 46 – mostly trial lawyers and consumer advocates – say the proposed law would make doctors and hospitals more accountable.