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.
Recently in Malpractice and Health Care Reform Category
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.