Why Isn't Medical Liability Reform Being Discussed?
side note: Price Waterhouse Cooper reports that 10 cents of every healthcare dollar is driven by medical liability issues. The author of this article asks, Why isn’t liability reform being discussed? This is what we have been saying for a long time now, reform has to be on the table!
Sun Sentinal
As lawmakers work to reform our health care system, they have promised to improve quality while lowering costs. Yet, they continue to ignore one of the biggest problems hampering quality and driving costs: out of control medical liability.
Today, 10 cents of every dollar spent on health care is driven by medical liability, according to Price Waterhouse Coopers. Health care providers across the country are forced to practice “defensive medicine,” ordering unnecessary and expensive tests and procedures to avoid being sued.
Florida is also home to some of the highest medical malpractice insurance rates in the nation. The overwhelming volume of lawsuits against health care providers increases liability insurance rates, and that cost is passed on to Floridians. Florida’s liability environment also deters medical innovation and discourages doctors from practicing medicine in some of the most important, high-risk medical fields, such as obstetrics. The fear of being sued is so severe that it is creating a shortage of doctors, as many opt to practice medicine in states with better liability laws. This shortage will affect all Floridians, but particularly our retirees, who have many health care needs — and the problem is only getting worse.
