Medical Malpractice Victims' Right to Sue in Court Only Nominally Impacts Overall Healthcare Costs
Posted by: Salvatore J. Zambri, Esquire
According to the AP (9/18), the Obama Administration "announced $25 million in grants for states and health care systems to experiment with alternatives to costly medical malpractice lawsuits." The report states that the grants will amount to "up to $3 million each for three years," and can be allocated for "a range of ideas, including programs in which doctors and hospitals quickly acknowledge a mistake, offer an apology and restitution, and pledge to take corrective action."
NPR (9/17, James), on its "Two-Way" blog, reports that although "a lot of people believe . . . [that] medical malpractice is a major contributor to healthcare inflation. . . the available evidence is with the president"--that it has little impact on healthcare costs. NPR noted what others, including the Congressional Budget Office (under the direction of former President George W. Bush), have determined, which is that "perhaps one percent or less of healthcare's high costs has been attributed in many studies to malpractice lawsuits."
I think it is good that the American people are starting to learn the truth about medical malpractice litigation and victims' rights to obtain justice. For far too long, special interest groups, like the insurance and medical industries, have spread myths about "frivolous" lawsuits and the impact malpractice claims have on overall healthcare costs. These special interest groups have relied on rhetoric and anecdotes in an effort to fool the American people into giving up their rights--specifically their right to obtain justice through a civil justice systemaccess to justice. There is no place for scare-tactics and myth-dissemination in American politics. Hopefully, the present discourse about medical malpractice litigation will reveal the truth so that Americans can see that certain industries are willing to put profits over people at almost any cost.
About the author:
Mr. Zambri is Past-President of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington, DC and has been rated by Washingtonian magazine as a "Big Gun" and among the "top 1%" of all lawyers in the Washington metropolitan area. The magazine also describes him as "one of Washington's best--most honest and effective lawyers" who specializes in personal injury matters, including medical malpractice actions. He has also been named a "DC Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyer magazine (March/April 2009)--a national publication that honors the top lawyers in America. If you need a patient advocate, we recommend that you read an article about medical malpractice claims authored by senior partner Salvatore Zambri.
If you want more information about your legal rights, please email Mr. Zambri at szambri@reganfirm.com or call him at 202-822-1899.