More Evidence For Benefits Of Medical Tort Reform:

October 13, 2009
UMA FLAG Communications

Lawrence J. McQuillan and Hovannes Abramyan of the Pacific Research Institute released a white paper last week, “The Facts about Medical Malpractice Liability Costs,” a quick read on the various factors that contribute to the tort costs in health care: “There is a lot of talk in Washington about cutting wasteful health care spending and, more specifically, cutting costs associated with medical malpractice liability. The dollar figures used by various groups and lawmakers often diverge widely. This paper presents what we know, and don’t know, about medical malpractice liability costs.” In their own analysis, the two authors arrive at a total for medical malpractice tort loss figure in 2008 of $5.894 billion.

Montana as a Model? The Billings Gazette nods in the direction of Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) for including a line or two in the Senate Finance Committee’s health care bill about studying tort reform in the states, perhaps. Montana should be a model, the editors suggest in “Montana sets example on medical tort reform,” citing the state’s Medical Legal Panel: “Montana law requires that complaints against licensed health care providers be presented for review by the Montana Medical Legal Panel before a lawsuit can be filed. The panel must render a finding within 120 days of receiving a complaint. The complaining party still has the right to file a lawsuit regardless of whether the panel rules for or against the complainant. But relatively few complaints go on to court.”