Personal Injury Law

Chicago, Illinois Medical Malpractice Attorneys Urge Congress to Keep Tort Reform Out of Healthcare Reform

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

According to the Washington Post, Democrats in Congress released the final version of the proposed healthcare legislation that the House is set to vote on this Sunday. President Obama is now working to secure enough votes to pass this legislation in Congress. Our Illinois medical malpractice lawyers were pleased to see that increased funding for medical malpractice reform initiatives was not included in the final version of the bill. Republicans have long pushed for medical malpractice reform, and the idea of increased spending on these initiatives was brought up again at the healthcare summit that took place last month.

Despite research that clearly shows that medical malpractice litigation does not drive up the cost of healthcare, proponents of tort reform still fight to limit the rights of patients who are injured or killed as a result of medical negligence. Healthcare reform should focus on ensuring that everyone has access to quality and affordable care, not on limiting patients' rights. We must also focus on decreasing the number of medical mistakes from happening in the first place.

Until a final bill is passed, it is important to remain vocal about this issue. We encourage readers to contact their representatives to let them know that medical malpractice reform is not the answer, and that you do not support any measures to limit patients rights. Click on the link to contact your U.S. representative regarding medical malpractice reform.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on March 19, 2010 (boomark / email).