Recent News
TMA seeks constitutional amendment to preserve malpractice damage caps
Despite a series of tort-reform measures approved by lawmakers in recent years, Tennessee physicians say they need further protection — in the form of an amendment to the state constitution — against the threat of large awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. The...
State Attorney General Bondi defends medical malpractice limits
Pointing to the Legislature's efforts to address a "crisis," Attorney General Pam Bondi's office is urging the Florida Supreme Court to uphold a key part of a controversial 2003 medical-malpractice law. A friend-of-the-court brief filed by Bondi's office signals the...
Tennessee doctors want malpractice payout limits in constitution
Fearful that Tennessee courts could eventually strike down a 2011 law capping jury awards in medical malpractice lawsuits, doctors plan to press legislators to protect the statute through amending the state's constitution. The Tennessee Medical Association wants...
Costly Mistakes: How Bad Policies Raise the Cost of Living
Government policy mistakes raise the prices of the things that Americans buy. An average American household can expect to pay an extra $4,440 each year thanks to just 12 such policy mistakes that have large costs and few benefits. Local, state, and federal governments...
High-spending doctors less likely to be sued
Providing more care than necessary may work to lower a doctor's risk of being accused of malpractice, suggests a new U.S. study. Although the results can't prove extra expenditures are due to so-called defensive medicine, the researchers found that doctors in Florida...
Florida’s culture of medical malpractice claims isn’t good for health care
Florida has the highest loss rate among states when it comes to settling medical malpractice claims, according to a new study from Aon Risk Solutions and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. The cost of settling and defending medical malpractice claims...
Malpractice premiums flat in 2015, but changes could be ahead
Physicians paid about the same in liability insurance premiums in 2015 as in 2014, and analysts don’t see costs changing anytime soon. A nationwide survey of insurers by the Medical Liability Monitor shows that 71% of insurance premiums did not change this year, while...
Nevada justices uphold medical malpractice damages cap
The Nevada Supreme Court on Thursday upheld major provisions of the state's medical malpractice law, overturning a judge who found that a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages was unconstitutional. The unanimous decision, written by Chief Justice James Hardesty, said...
Guest Column: Lawsuit-happy environment is hurting Florida’s economy
The sunny climate may be one of Florida’s most enduring assets, but unfair laws and courts are storm clouds on Florida’s horizon. This is a reasonable conclusion from the findings of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s newly released 2015 Lawsuit Climate...
A Flawed Medical Malpractice System
New York’s medical malpractice system needs comprehensive reforms. The writers note that many states allow patients to file suit based on when they discover that there was a medical error, but, unlike New York, most of those states also have caps on damages and other...