Tort Reform Gina Bollotta | Chester Conforte | Ari Friedman Michael Lucas | Andrew Sidoti | Chris Tornabene Jesse Worbington

A Brief Introduction Definition of tort reform How this applies to medicine Associated promises The opinion of supporters

Intro (Contd.) Physician’s concern The practice of defensive medicine THE RESULT?  A drastic rise in healthcare costs!

Costs Costs of tort reform exceeds the growth of the US 2001 & 2002 – highest growth rate $260 billion spent on tort reform 2007 – the US spent $2.2 trillion on health care – $7,421/person in US $252 billion on tort reform – $835/person in US

Cost Decreases Texas – 21.3% decrease in medical malpractice insurance premiums Obama wants to experiment with tort reform on a state level – 32 states now have caps between $250,000 and $500,000 Caps will save approx. $54 billion over 10 years

Malpractice More money is spent on malpractice lawsuits 44,000 to 98,000 people die each year due to malpractice

Individual Reform Non Economic – Caps an amount on certain types of damages, Pain and suffering Physical impairment Loss of enjoyment of life Joint and Several Liabilities – Each defendant is responsible for a % of damages – Defendants with less % may still have to pay more

Individual Reform Loser Pays – “English rule” Loser is required to compensate the winner Must pay all attorney fees – United States Each party is responsible for paying own litigations People are less likely to bring cases to court ATRA “Bring greater fairness, predictability and efficiency to America's civil justice system”.

Physician’s Account Tort Reform benefits for doctors and patients What tort reform will prevent Why tort reform is necessary

Physician’s Account A doctors Point of view on tort reform Medical Vs Legal needs for tests Medicare Reduction by reducing the need to run high end tests

Tort Reform In Politics Not Submitted by Chester.

Tort Reform In Politics Not Submitted by Chester.

Compensation Culture Compensation Act of 2006 brought change to the UK system – Why not in the US? Who’s to blame? – Average citizen? – Legal professionals? – Government? – Television?

Compensation Culture Who does it affect? – Average consumer – Public recreational areas – Military – Banks – Everyone! Relation to medical field – Doctors scared to help

Compensation Culture What does it cost us – 10b in UK – 117 m of that paid by local governments – 500 passed on to consumers

Tort Reform Results State malpractice caps instituted in MI, TX among others Health care costs on the rise Medicare spending in TX 23%+ in 3 years after TX near bottom in per capita physicians, highest rate of uninsured citizens Congressional Budget Office: $54 billion saved over 10 years, $2.5 trillion spent each year Savings of 0.2% each year with federal-level reform

Costs Exaggerated? Number of tort cases have declined steadily in the past several years Tort system’s impact on insurance premiums, corporate R&D, employment appear unfounded Economic benefits of tort reform not substantiated with credible evidence Current system helps lead to fewer accidental deaths, promote safer products and practices Maybe address roots of problems instead, such as creating real safety standards and forcing industries to be held accountable

QUESTIONS?