Consumer Law

What effect will tort 'reform' have on healthcare spending?

By Justinian Lane

This is a rather colorful analogy.

To think that [tort ?reform?] would significantly change health care costs is like believing that a Mack truck can be diverted by a June bug ? even a moderately large June bug ? hitting its windshield.

There are reasons to suspect even that analogy overstates the result.

Source: Tort reform won't control health spending. - STLtoday.com

I would also point out that fear-of-being-sued is not the only reason that doctors order unnecessary procedures.  Remember, doctors charge money for and get paid for even unnecessary procedures.  Even if we completely eliminate all medical malpractice lawsuits, there will still be doctors who order unnecessary procedures just because it puts money in their pockets.  Let?s not pretend otherwise.

Full post as published by TortDeform.com on February 16, 2010 (boomark / email).