NEWS RELEASE: "PATIENTS SHOULDN'T HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN BAD CARE AND NO CARE"
April 20, 2005 10:33

"The disgraceful truth about the malpractice bill
the 'Coalition for Accessible Physicians' is in
Washington to lobby for is that it would limit not
frivolous lawsuits - but cases even the bill's
proponents consider justified. BNA reported Sen.
Rick Santorum saying, 'High awards in medical
litigation cases for pain and suffering may be
justified in some cases.' A few years ago, Sen.
Santorum even testified in support of a medical
malpractice claim by his wife seeking non-economic
damages in excess of the cap he now advocates....In
other words, patients only have two choices: giving
up their right to seek justice if they are maimed or
killed by bad care, or no care at all. That's a
terrible choice to ask Americans to make....This bill
is unacceptable because it would limits the rights
of ALL victims, no matter how serious the injury or
how bad the negligence by the doctor, nursing home
or drug company."
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Todd A. Smith, President, Association Of Trial
Lawyers Of America, 04/20/2005
For complete press release, see http://www.atla.org/ConsumerMediaResources/Tier3/press_room/president/Smith050420.aspx
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NEWS RELEASE: SANTORUM OVER-ESTIMATES TRIAL LAWYER INFLUENCE ON MEDICAL MALPRACTICE BILL, MAKES UP FACTS ABOUT HEALTH CARE COSTS"In a...BNA article, Senator Rick Santorum said triallawyers 'almost exclusively' are responsible for thefailure of medical... (Read Article)

OPINION: MEDICAL MALPRACTICE REFORM SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON PATIENTS THAN ON CAPS, SAY NATION'S MEDICAL STUDENTS



"Today thousands of physicians will descend upon
Capitol Hill to voice support for medical liability
reform to address the rise in medical malpractice
premiums. These physicians will be lobbying for a
federal cap on non-economic damages. The American
Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's
largest, independent medical student organization,
expresses concern that this approach may prevent just,
effective, patient-centered reform. Much of the
debate has centered on the potential effectiveness of
caps on non-economic damage awards to reduce premium
increases. AMSA opposes any proposal that involves
caps alone; instead, reform should focus on a more
comprehensive approach that includes reducing medical
errors and increasing oversight of the insurance
industry. 'There is little doubt that the rising
costs of medical liability insurance affects the
professional decisions of health care providers, but
the causes of high medical malpractice rates are more
complex than jury award size,' says Dr. Brian Palmer,
AMSA national president. 'As future physicians, AMSA
believes priorities for reform should include a
system to share the potentially life-saving
information learned through medical error reporting
and fostering better communication between physicians
and patients.' AMSA believes that solutions to
medical malpractice must be determined in
collaboration among physicians, plaintiff and defense attorneys, patients and other vested parties.
'Instead of 'injuring' the patient twice, we need to
focus on preventing the mistakes,' continues Palmer.
'By investigating and addressing factors that
contribute to errors in clinical care, we are taking
the first step in protecting patients' rights and
improving medical care.'


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American Medical Student Association, 04/20/2005