Medical Malpractice and the State of Healthcare

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Joanne Doroshow, Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Democracy, has offered important testimony concerning “Medical Liability Reform-Cutting Costs, Spurring Investment, Creating Jobs”.

According to Doroshow’s testimony, the proposal would lead to an increase in medical errors and restrict access to the courts for those injured through medical negligence.

Doroshow stated, “Medical negligence kills at least a hundred thousand people every year and injures ten times more, costing the economy tens of billions of dollars annually. This legislation would weaken the legal rights of sick and injured patients and lessen the accountability of incompetent doctors and unsafe hospitals. Meanwhile, the insurance industry gets to pocket money that should be available to the sick and injured, forcing many to turn elsewhere for help, including Medicaid, further burdening taxpayers.”

In her testimony opposing the anti-consumer legislation, Doroshow noted that the occurrences of medical malpractice in hospitals continues to grow at an alarming rate. At the same time, malpractice claims and lawsuits are dropping significantly. In her testimony, she cited the Harvard School of Public Health’s finding that the portrayal of the malpractice system stricken with frivolous litigation is overblown and exaggerated.

This new legislation would restrict the rights of ordinary citizens harmed by medical negligence. Furthermore, it would serve to increase the profits of insurance companies at the expense of all American taxpayers.

Kevin Dugan
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