Medical Malpractice Litigation

Medical Malpractice Litigation PDF Author: Bernard S. Black
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 194864780X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
"Drawing on an unusually rich trove of data, the authors have refuted more politically convenient myths in one book than most academics do in a lifetime." —Nicholas Bagley, professor of law, University of Michigan Law School "Synthesizing decades of their own and others’ research on medical liability, the authors unravel what we know and don’t know about our medical malpractice system, why neither patients nor doctors are being rightly served, and what economics can teach us about the path forward." —Anupam B. Jena, Harvard Medical School Over the past 50 years, the United States experienced three major medical malpractice crises, each marked by dramatic increases in the cost of malpractice liability insurance. These crises fostered a vigorous politicized debate about the causes of the premium spikes, and the impact on access to care and defensive medicine. State legislatures responded to the premium spikes by enacting damages caps on non-economic, punitive, or total damages and Congress has periodically debated the merits of a federal cap on damages. However, the intense political debate has been marked by a shortage of evidence, as well as misstatements and overclaiming. The public is confused about answers to some basic questions. What caused the premium spikes? What effect did tort reform actually have? Did tort reform reduce frivolous litigation? Did tort reform actually improve access to health care or reduce defensive medicine? Both sides in the debate have strong opinions about these matters, but their positions are mostly talking points or are based on anecdotes. Medical Malpractice Litigation provides factual answers to these and other questions about the performance of the med mal system. The authors, all experts in the field and from across the political spectrum, provide an accessible, fact-based response to the questions ordinary Americans and policymakers have about the performance of the med mal litigation system.

Medical Malpractice Litigation

Medical Malpractice Litigation PDF Author: Bernard S. Black
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 194864780X
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
"Drawing on an unusually rich trove of data, the authors have refuted more politically convenient myths in one book than most academics do in a lifetime." —Nicholas Bagley, professor of law, University of Michigan Law School "Synthesizing decades of their own and others’ research on medical liability, the authors unravel what we know and don’t know about our medical malpractice system, why neither patients nor doctors are being rightly served, and what economics can teach us about the path forward." —Anupam B. Jena, Harvard Medical School Over the past 50 years, the United States experienced three major medical malpractice crises, each marked by dramatic increases in the cost of malpractice liability insurance. These crises fostered a vigorous politicized debate about the causes of the premium spikes, and the impact on access to care and defensive medicine. State legislatures responded to the premium spikes by enacting damages caps on non-economic, punitive, or total damages and Congress has periodically debated the merits of a federal cap on damages. However, the intense political debate has been marked by a shortage of evidence, as well as misstatements and overclaiming. The public is confused about answers to some basic questions. What caused the premium spikes? What effect did tort reform actually have? Did tort reform reduce frivolous litigation? Did tort reform actually improve access to health care or reduce defensive medicine? Both sides in the debate have strong opinions about these matters, but their positions are mostly talking points or are based on anecdotes. Medical Malpractice Litigation provides factual answers to these and other questions about the performance of the med mal system. The authors, all experts in the field and from across the political spectrum, provide an accessible, fact-based response to the questions ordinary Americans and policymakers have about the performance of the med mal litigation system.

The Need for Tort Reform

The Need for Tort Reform PDF Author: John D. Stephenson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Torts
Languages : en
Pages : 42

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Book Description


Tort Reform by Contract

Tort Reform by Contract PDF Author: Paul H. Rubin
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute
ISBN: 9780844738284
Category : Contracts
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description
The author argues that there is a current crisis in tort law and advocates that a return to a more widespread use of contracts in three areas - product liability, medical malpractice, and some aspects of automobile accidents. Such contracts, he suggests, should be allowed by the courts.

Some Observations on the Need for Tort Reform

Some Observations on the Need for Tort Reform PDF Author: Gustave H. Shubert
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Liability (Law)
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description
This paper was originally presented to the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver, Colorado, in January 1986, and in an earlier version to the Public Policy Institute in Albany, New York, in November 1985. It draws on studies of civil court congestion and delay, alternative dispute resolution, the public costs of civil litigation, asbestos-related litigation, punitive damages, and medical malpractice. The author explores the relevance of policy research to tort reform, and concludes that the underlying problem with the civil justice system is the inability to decide whether we in the United States want to have a pure compensatory system, in which everyone is compensated for every injury no matter what its cause, or a fault-based liability system, in which compensation is limited in a strict way, in a comparative way, or in a contributory way to those who have caused the injury.

Materials on Tort Reform

Materials on Tort Reform PDF Author: Andrew Popper
Publisher: James Currey
ISBN: 9781683287544
Category : Law reform
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Softbound - New, softbound print book.

Tort Reform

Tort Reform PDF Author: Paul Ruschmann
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
ISBN: 1438106262
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 129

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Book Description
This book examines both sides of the current tort reform debate: should courts reduce the scope of defendants' liability to avoid economic decline, or would that change simply enrich large corporations at the expense of average Americans?

Tort Reform, Plaintiffs' Lawyers, and Access to Justice

Tort Reform, Plaintiffs' Lawyers, and Access to Justice PDF Author: Stephen Daniels
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700620737
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
Tort reform is a favorite cause for many business leaders and right-leaning politicians, who contend that out-of-control lawsuits throttle growth and inflate costs, particularly in healthcare. Less is said about how such reforms might affect the ability of individuals to recover damages for injuries suffered through another party's negligence. On that count, Texas--where efforts at tort reform have been energetic and successful--provides an opportunity to appraise the outcome for plaintiffs and their lawyers, an opportunity that Stephen Daniels and Joanne Martin take full advantage of in this timely and provocative work. Because much of the action on tort reform takes place on the state level, a look at the experience of Texas, a large and important state with a very active plaintiff's bar, is especially instructive. Plaintiffs' lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, collecting compensation for themselves as a percentage only if they win. Reduce lawyers' ability to use contingency fees as compensation, as tort reform inevitably does, and you reduce their economic incentive to do this work. Daniels and Martin’s study bears this out. Drawing on over 20 years of research, extensive surveys and interviews, the authors explore the impact the tort reform movement in Texas has had on the ability of plaintiffs to obtain judgments--in short on private citizens' meaningful access to the full power of the law. In the course of their analysis, the authors explain the history and economics behind the workings of the plaintiffs’ bar. They explore how lawyers select cases and clients, as well as the referral process that moves cases among lawyers and allows for specialization. They also examine the effects of medical malpractice reforms on plaintiffs' lawyers--reforms that often close the courthouse doors to certain types of people--tort reform's "hidden victims." Plaintiffs' lawyers are the civil justice system's gatekeepers, providing meaningful access to the rights the law provides. Daniels and Martin’s thorough and fair-minded work offers a unique and sobering perspective on how tort reform can curtail this access--and thus, the legal rights of American citizens.

The Empirical Effects of Tort Reform

The Empirical Effects of Tort Reform PDF Author: Theodore Eisenberg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Tort reforms enacted in response to asserted crises date back to the 1970s and have emphasized the highly visible areas of punitive damages, medical malpractice, and products liability. Little evidence exists that reform of punitive damages affected the ratio between punitive and compensatory damages. This is consistent with the absence of evidence that punitive damages were ever out of control and in need of reform. Evidence of the effect of tort reform in the medical malpractice field is mixed. Caps on non-economic damages have reduced costs, thereby likely decreasing pressure on hospitals to improve care. Consistent evidence of effects on physician behavior and physician supply has not emerged. Tort reform has rarely sought to address the well-established problem of widespread harm caused by poor quality care. Products liability plaintiffs have had decreasing success over time. While one cannot rule out specific statutory reforms as achieving more favorable results for defendants, the national scope of plaintiffs' declining success supports an explanation based on the social construction of knowledge by well-funded industry groups.

The Critical Need for Tort Reform

The Critical Need for Tort Reform PDF Author: Alfred W. Cortese
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Liability (Law)
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description


Report to the Governor on the Subject of Tort Reform

Report to the Governor on the Subject of Tort Reform PDF Author: Peter Verniero
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Damages
Languages : en
Pages : 46

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Book Description