Recent News
Texas expands medical liability protections for state-employed doctors
Texas doctors employed by the state have gained an extra layer of protection against medical liability lawsuits after a recent decision by the Supreme Court of Texas. The majority of justices ruled that plaintiffs must sue the government entity where an alleged...
Obama, GOP should avoid a standoff on malpractice reform
PRESIDENT OBAMA announced in his State of the Union speech that he would deal with Republicans on one of their pet issues, reform of medical malpractice. But nothing is likely to get done because congressional Democrats oppose the GOP’s trademark solution to high...
Is malpractice reform good for patients?
The medical malpractice reform bill Sens. Harry Brown, Tom Apodaca and I have introduced in the state Senate will drive down your health care costs and lure some of the country's brightest doctors to North Carolina. It will give doctors a desperately needed safeguard...
Study: Doctors order tests out of fear of lawsuits
SAN DIEGO (AP) — CT scans, MRIs and other pricey imaging tests are often more for the doctor's benefit than the patient's, new research confirms. Roughly one-fifth of tests that bone and joint specialists order are because a doctor fears being sued, not because the...
Gingrey, Smith, Scott Call on President to Support Medical Liability Reform
Washington - Senior Health Subcommittee Member Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R-Ga.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Congressman David Scott (D-Ga.) today introduced The HEALTH Act (H.R. 5), a bill that includes meaningful medical liability reforms...
GOP introduces medical liability bill to complement healthcare efforts
Key House Republicans last night introduced the HEALTH Act, which aims to lower the cost of healthcare through medical liability reform. The bill is designated as H.R. 5, which indicates it is a high priority for House Republicans. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Phil...
Medical liability premiums steady, but big extremes remain
An annual survey shows caps in some states helped keep rates down, but a higher percentage of premiums rose in 2010 than in 2009. Physicians paid about the same for medical liability insurance premiums in 2010 as in 2009, with 67% of rates remaining stable across the...
Eight ideas for the 2011 Legislature
The General Assembly gathers this week facing a deficit of well over $1 billion. Across-the-board budget cuts are no longer sufficient to bridge the budget gap. Georgia needs more innovative, transformative ideas. The budget would appear to limit the state’s options,...
Loser Pays, Everyone Wins
Texas pushes the British rule on tort reform. Republicans picked up 16 governorships and at least 675 state legislative seats in November, and some of them are using this new running room to get creative. One Governor out of the gate early is Texan Rick Perry, who...
Medical malpractice an inconsistent system
The news that New York faces a current fiscal year budget deficit that could reach $1 billion and a deficit for the next fiscal year that could approach $10 billion is sobering for us all. Deficits of this magnitude will create difficult choices for Gov.-elect Andrew...