Personal Injury Law

Medical Malpractice Lawsuits do not End in Higher Insurance Premiums

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

While insurance companies claim that medical malpractice claims are the primary driver behind the high prices doctors pay for insurance. However, the statistics show that this statement is false. One national study found that while payouts did decline in the nineteen states that had caps, premiums in capped states rose far faster than those in uncapped states. In states with statutory medical malpractice caps, the median annual premium increased 48.2%, while those states without caps saw a median increase of only 35.9%. This shows that something besides medical malpractice claims are driving premiums higher. In reality, increases in the cost of medicine, the cyclical nature of the insurance market and a decline in investment due to poor investment choices are driving up insurance claims. Tort reform is not about lowering the cost of healthcare but rather severing responsibility for causing an injury from the person who caused it. Victims of medical malpractice are hurt even greater and the average citizen gains nothing with tort reform. To read more about tort reform, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on September 11, 2009 (boomark / email).