Insurance companies and their lobbyists have made much over the supposed "malpractice crisis." They have used this mantra, along with unfounded threats of rising costs and doctor desertion, to enact legislative restrictions on the rights of injured citizens to recover. I recently wrote about Utah's newest tort reform proposals in the Salt Lake Tribune, but to no avail. Although the bill was modified, it still imposes economic restrictions on the rights of recovery, and makes the process longer and more expensive for malpractice victims.
Of course, tort reform is nothing new in Utah. Utah has had some of the most aggressive tort reform laws in the nation for over thirty years. Ironically, while the legislature is busy passing even more pro-insurance, anti-victim laws, reports are coming out that medical errors are increasing. Today, the Deseret News reported that MEDICAL ERRORS ARE INCREASING IN UTAH. This should come as no surprise. Thanks to the legislature's special favors to the health care industry, there is no longer much accountability for medical errors.
So we're all at greater risk when we go into a hospital. At least this will lower doctors' malpractice rates, which will in turn save money in health care costs, right?
Wrong.
As reported in Healthcare Finance News on March 10, 2010, medical malpractice payments are steadily on the decline. Indeed, this simply continues a a five year trend.
The facts show that malpractice payments have been dropping for years. Why haven't malpractice premiums gone down, and taken health care costs with them?
Maybe the Utah State Legislature should ask the insurance lobby these questions before passing more laws reducing accountability for medical errors....
