Humbert J. Polito Jr., of Polito & Quinn, LLC and president of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association writes this editorial about tort reform and health care.
September 2009 Archives
Good line from Tom Baker, a professor of law and health sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law and author of "The Medical Malpractice Myth," in the New York Times:
"According to the actuarial consulting firm Towers Perrin, medical malpractice tort costs were $30.4 billion in 2007, the last year for which data are available. We have a more than a $2 trillion health care system. That puts litigation costs and malpractice insurance at 1 to 1.5 percent of total medical costs. That's a rounding error. Liability isn't even the tail on the cost dog. It's the hair on the end of the tail."
Baker's conclusion is that medical malpractice reform is a red herring for those who don't want real change in health care. This might be a legitimate concern but these folks are using malpractice as an intellecutally dishonest sword in their battle.