The latest new tactic in tort reform is coming out of Maryland with the help of Robert Wood Johnson. Johnson is funding the tort reform group Common Good with $1 million to allow them to try and establish “Health” courts. These courts would be used to only hear medical malpractice cases and instead of a jury the case would be heard by an expert judge. Again, let’s try and look at the real problem instead of trying to take away patients rights.
Tort reform is an ongoing battle that is leaving patients with fewer chances for recovery when they have been injured. Doctors are not suggesting they look inward at their practices and collegues to see if there is a problem, of course not. All they want to do is look outside to other sources that must be causing the high medical malpractice insurance premiums they are facing. Now they are trying to take away the jury system and pull these cases out of the court system. The only thing this is going to do is hide the truth about bad medicine from the public. The public has a right to know and hear what is going on in this country and these “Health” courts are only going to further silence patients.
