Off-Topic: So tort reform doesn't help?

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	Name:	MartiniMan -
	Subject:	So tort reform doesn't help?
	Date:	9/14/2009 10:06:30 AM

Explain these facts just from the state of Texas and from a comprehensive study of tort reform results from 1996 to 2006. Not sure where you did your research on google but this took me two seconds to find positive results from state-based tort reform. Is it the only answer? Of course not, but it has been proven to result in lower costs, improved care for patients, more doctors which should equate to more competition, etc.

"As a result, Texas doctors have seen their insurance rates decline by, on average, 27 percent. The number of doctors applying to practice medicine in Texas has skyrocketed by 57 percent. In 2008, the Texas Medical Board received 4,023 licensure applications and issued a record 3,621 new licenses.

In all, in just the first five years after reforms passed, 14,498 doctors either returned to practice in Texas or began practicing here for the first time. And our reforms finally brought critical specialties to underserved areas. The number of obstetricians practicing in rural Texas is up by 27 percent, and 12 counties that previously had no obstetricians now have at least one. The statistics show major gains in fields like orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, neurosurgery and emergency medicine. The Rio Grande Valley has seen an 18 percent growth in applications to practice medicine, adding about 200 doctors to this critically underserved area.

And what about the money that used to go to defending all those frivolous lawsuits? You can find it in budgets for upgraded equipment, expanded emergency rooms, patient safety programs and improved primary and charity care."

Also, see below from a study by the Heartland Institute. This points out that not all tort reform has the same impact. But overall it does reduce the awards which ultimately reduces costs in the system through lower health insurance premiums.

"Of the 25 tort reforms that we examine, the statistical analysis identifies 18 reforms to state civil-justice systems that significantly reduced tort losses and tort insurance premiums from
1996 through 2006. For some categories of tort cases, specific reforms cut payouts by more than 50 percent. The cumulative effect of reforms across all tort categories is a 47-percent
reduction in losses and a 16-percent reduction in insurance premiums for consumers. Some tort reforms are highly effective at reducing costs in certain tort categories, but are ineffective
in other tort categories. It is important that reformers pick the right tool for each problem."