POLL: COSTS TOP HEALTHCARE CONCERN
January 11, 2005 08:35

Most Americans see healthcare and insurance costs as a more pressing problem than malpractice lawsuits, a survey says, although the Bush administration often cites litigation as a reason for high medical bills. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that studies healthcare issues, and the Harvard School of Public Health said reducing malpractice jury awards ranked 11th on a list of 12 items people thought should be healthcare priorities for the president and Congress. Named most often, by 63 percent of respondents, was lowering the cost of healthcare and insurance, followed closely by making Medicare more financially sound and increasing the number of Americans with insurance. "The public isn't pushing hard for malpractice reform but will be happy to have it if the lawyers, doctors, administration and Congress can agree to a plan," said Drew E. Altman, president of the Kaiser Foundation. ***** USA Today, 01/11/2005 For complete story, search http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/ $ - USA Today charges $2.50 for each archived article retrieved *****

"Poll: Malpractice Reform Outweighed By Concern Over Healthcare Costs," The Associated Press, Law.com, 01/11/2005. For complete story, search http://www.law.com $ - Only subscribers can access this article *****

Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered a public hearing on rate increases for medical malpractice insurance after doctors, lawyers and the state attorney general earlier in the day called for a hearing on a 90 percent increase. However, the kind of hearing that... (Read Article)