In Missouri complaints of medical malpractice lawsuits being out of control were heard loud and clear and tort reform was initiated. The truth though is slowly coming to the surface. Missouri lobbyests claimed that medical malpractice cases were clogging the court system and this would not happen if frivolous cases were not filed. The truth, less than one percent of all civil cases that are filed in Missouri are medical malpractice cases.
Another myth about medical malpractice case that was believed to be true in Missouri and other states, including Illinois, is that medical malpractice cases are causing insurance premiums for doctors to increase. This idea was rejected by the medical community, the very people that are making the claim, when the Missouri Hospital Association announced that its research showed that medical malpractice claims have not contributed significantly to premium increases.
People in the medical field continue to blame their patients for causing increases in premiums when it is simply not true. However, because lawmakers believed the argument, now patients are suffering for their doctors’ mistakes. Maybe it’s time the lawmakers start asking the insurance companies some questions.
Comments for this article are closed.