Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recently completed a study that supports what medical malpractice attorneys have been saying for decades: malpractice lawsuits are not the cause of soaring healthcare costs.
Researchers found that huge medical malpractice damages awards get in news headlines, but account for less than .05 percent of all U.S. healthcare expenses. The study should give a black eye to politicians who continue blaming malpractice suits for healthcare costs.
Lawsuits are a popular scapegoat for the fundamental problems of the nation’s healthcare system, but recent tort reform measures and severe damage caps have done nothing to fix the soaring cost of healthcare. The next time you hear a politician push tort reform or boast about their past work concerning malpractice reform, ask that lawmaker why he or she is assigning blame to the easy target rather than finding the true cause of the problem.
Sadly, tort reformists have already chipped away at the rights of those who suffer from medical malpractice. Law changes have made medical malpractice lawsuits more difficult to bring. When the injured plaintiff does prevail, state caps usually decimate the damages award the jury found fit to grant the victim.
If you or a loved one has suffered from a physician’s mistake, an experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you examine your legal options.
McKeen & Associates, PC, is a Michigan law firm that handles complex medical malpractice lawsuits throughout the U.S.
Source: Thomson Reuters, “Medical Malpractice Study Finds High Payouts Not A Huge Drain,” Terry Baynes, May 17, 2013
