Healthcare groups continue fight for greater malpractice reform
side note: This article from Dermatology Times reviews the efforts of medical groups to make tort reform an issue in Obama’s health care reform plan, and examines the results of a new Harvard study on tort reform mechanisms. The Cunningham Group is dedicated to providing low medical liability insurance premiums to our clients, so we urge doctors to support further efforts to advance tort reform.
by Bob Gatty
Dermatology Times
Organized medicine, including groups representing dermatologists, has long fought for medical liability reforms that would limit jury-granted noneconomic awards for pain and suffering and include provisions to keep frivolous (but potentially costly) cases out of court. Their pitch: Effective reform would reduce medical malpractice costs, including insurance, and make it possible for many physicians who can’t afford skyrocketing premiums to continue their practices.
The medical groups attempted to inject their argument into the debate over healthcare reform legislation earlier this year, but they were largely unsuccessful. The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD) was part of a coalition of medical groups that asked President Obama to include meaningful medical liability reform in the broader healthcare reform package.
