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Medical Malpractice Accounts For Only 3% of U.S. Health Costs
According to a new study, the combined cost of medical malpractice and so called defensive medicine accounts for only 2.4% of the total health care costs in the U.S. The Harvard School of Public Health conducted the study which was published in the September issue of Health Affairs. In another study published in the same journal, the group found that limiting medical malpractice lawsuits would neither have a significant impact on reducing the cost of health care or in reducing the incidence of so called defensive medicine. The study also found that placing limits on non-economic damages in medical malpractice lawsuits resulted in no significant difference in doctors’ perceptions of the risk of malpractice. The consumer advocacy group, Public Citizen, recently found that the entire cost of medical liability nationwide was .6% to 1.3% of national health care costs and that states that had enacted strict tort reform and medical malpractice reform laws had seen health insurance costs and the number of uninsured skyrocket.
Before you blindly support more limitations on medical malpractice lawsuits, take a look at the facts. If you’re a victim of medical mistake, call Colling Gilbert Wright for a free consultation.
