AS MUCH AS WE appreciate the effort of a house call by President George Bush to our area, his prescription for the medical malpractice crisis offered the healing power of a crutch for the victim of a head-on collision.

The problems here are interconnected: rising insurance costs, the insurance business, errors in the medical profession and inadequate Medicare reimbursement rates that affect doctors and staffing for hospitals, skilled nursing and personal care facilities. A solution should address all of these issues.

There may be a place for caps for damages, although in some cases, $250,000 would be too little. And that will only work with broader reforms including a screening process to make sure malpractice cases have merit before they become an onus on doctors or insurers.

There must be scrutiny of the insurance industry, too. Something is wrong when physicians who have never had a claim and have never gone to court have their insurance premiums skyrocket and they're forced to consider abandoning their practice here. Insurance companies must be held accountable for financial operations, including economic losses from poorly performing investments or flawed management.

President Bush and Congress need to face the reality of Medicare reimbursements rates. In our area, doctors, hospitals and care homes are paid less compared to neighboring regions. Facilities in those other areas can then afford to lure away nurses and other professionals. Even now, inadequate staffing is an issue for nurses set to strike against the Wyoming Valley Health Care System. And Medicare rates are an issue for the hospital system.

Almost lost in that tussle are the burgeoning populations in skilled nursing and personal care facilities. You can bet that's an issue in Wilkes-Barre-Scranton-Hazleton, which has the largest number of elderly people in the United States outside of Florida.

There also needs to be a thorough examination of the medical profession to find ways to reduce the number of errors. Just last week the Associated Press reported on a study that suggested an alarming number of mistakes connected to surgeries across the country.

All these things contribute to a health care crisis. The medical malpractice insurance crisis that had doctors threatening to walk away in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New Jersey is a trigger, an emotional issue for consumers and the easiest dilemma to react to.

But suggesting a cap as the solution to this complex problem is insulting. It takes away rights from patients and leaves the predicament unresolved.

If Bush's visit was an attempt to garner support - the area favored Democrats Al Gore in 2000 and Ed Rendell for governor last year - he'll find voters in this area are not as simple as his speech or his crisis solution.

Take a look at your insurance and doctor bills and then take a look at your representatives in Washington and Harrisburg. The only politicians who deserve your support are the ones who support reforms to solve these issues and your best health.