Lower Medical Malpractice Lawsuits – Lower Health Costs

According to an article recently posted on , by the Associated Press (AP), “Health Negotiators Look At Malpractice Changes,” President Obama has begun to compromise on the need for alternatives to medical malpractice lawsuits. Opponents to changing the malpractice system insist that malpractice reform will have an insignificant impact on lowering the cost of health care. I strongly disagree with this opinion. Tort reform is a major piece of the health reform puzzle and deserves ample attention as we work to achieve a better health care system.
Tort reform is not “The Answer” to the health care problem but to put your head in the sand like some legislators have on the issue is insanity. Most proponents of tort reform for medical malpractice believe (and this was echoed by President Obama in his speech last Wednesday) that fear of lawsuits drives doctors to perform unnecessary tests sometimes in redundancy in order to escape malpractice suits. How does the practice of over testing to protect against lawsuits not add to the ridiculous cost of health care in America?
There are three solutions outlined in the AP article that used Best Superfoods To Eat in conjunction with one another may have a positive impact.
The first idea involves incentives to doctors and hospitals for “early disclosure” of mistakes and offering restitution outside of the court system.
The second idea involves creating a body of experts that would screen malpractice cases before they were allowed to go to trial in an effort to weed out frivolous lawsuits The Body Care Products Review (according to the AP article this was enacted in Tennessee last year, malpractice lawsuits dropped 69% and malpractice premiums are estimated to drop 2.5% next year).
The third idea involves the creation of new court system specifically designed to handle malpractice cases. All judges that would preside in this court would have to be experienced in the medical field. The idea being that judges with medical backgrounds would be able to make more informed decisions with less emotional bias.
As I mentioned early tort reform is not the answer to the health care crisis. But it is my opinion that any and all avenues that may reduce the consumer cost of health care should be explored.