Breaking: The Latest Worthless Medical Malpractice “Reforms”

Hans von Spakovsky / March 10, 2010

When President Obama held his health care summit at the White House, Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) pointed out that a key part of containing medical costs was completely missing from the debate: medical malpractice legal reform. The cost of defensive medicine alone (without taking into account the direct costs of such claims) “could be as high as $239 billion” according to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers cited by Camp.

So what was President Obama’s response? He basically interrupted Camp and told him to “finish up.” On March 3, when Obama gave his speech in the East Room on health care reform, his only mention of this issue was about “funding state grants on medical malpractice reform.” Of course, he has said that before – in his address to Congress on health care last fall. Then he offered to fund “pilot” projects even though states like Texas and Mississippi have instituted such reform and we already know what works. (more…)