Malpractice caps (From NYTimes 2/27

2005-02-28 05:54:26 AM
The purpose of the cap is several-fold. It takes the incentive out of
filing suits for greedy malpractice attornies. It also keeps
malpractice insurance carriers from getting overwhelmed so that they
leave states altogether where their is no tort reform. If large awards
are given, then the premiums go up so high that many good physicians
can no longer afford to practice medicine, possibly going out of
business or moving their practice to another state. Another reason is
that if a particular doctor gets a very large award on one case, he
will be dropped from the insurance. Then he will have limited ability
to find a carrier to take him. This can result from one mistake that
he may make in his career, yet his practice lifetime can be limited
eventhough he may be a good doctor. Finally, we all pay a much higher
price on goods and services, since that is factored into the cost of
doing business, for a few people to win the lotto. Limitations on
awards is a very good thing for everybody except those looking for a
pot of gold under a rainbow.
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