News From the End of Life: Most support caps on pain and suffering awards
July 1, 2002
News From the End of Life: Most support caps on pain and suffering awards
The vast majority of Americans support medical liability reform, including a cap on pain and suffering awards, according to a survey released by the Health Care Liability Alliance (HCLA).
Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD, secretary-treasurer of the American Medical Association (AMA), says the survey results show that the American people support the health care community’s drive for liability reform. Palmisano is a founding member of HCLA and a member of its board.
"Liability reform is one of the AMA’s top legislative priorities, and these survey results show the vast majority of Americans support liability reform as well," he says. "An overwhelming 78% of Americans say they are concerned about the impact rising liability costs have on access to care, and 73% support a law that caps pain and suffering awards."
Palmisano says the AMA has always held that patients who have been injured through negligence should be compensated fairly, but, unfortunately, the current liability system has failed patients. The United States has created a liability lottery, he says, where select patients receive astronomical awards and many others have problems accessing care because of it.
"We will never have true access to care for all unless the hemorrhaging costs of the current medical liability system are addressed," he says. "The new survey shows that 71% of Americans agree that one of the primary reasons health care costs are rising is because of medical malpractice lawsuits. The spiraling costs generated by our nation’s dysfunctional liability system are borne by everyone. We need a system that ensures fair compensation and puts an end to the liability lottery."
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