It’s a myth- and a well-perpetrated one- that doctors are inundated with malpractice lawsuits. The system is overrun with frivolous lawsuits, the pundits say.
Hmmmm. Not so much.
According to David Studdert, the lead author of a 2006 study by the Harvard School of Public Health, “These findings [of the study] cast doubt on that view by showing that most malpractice claims involve medical error and serious injury, and that claims with merit are far more likely to be paid than claims without merit.” And yet, politicians keep trying to make it harder for injured patients (or their survivors) to be compensated for medical malpractice.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is trying to do just that.
For some reason (cough *lobbyists* cough), Speaker Ryan believes that he can help reduce the budget deficit by decreasing the medical malpractice liability for medical personnel and facilities.
Our friends over at ThePopTort have a very nice article about this. You’ll want to read it and shake your head, just like we did.
