Medical Liability Reform
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At Issue
The availability and cost of malpractice insurance and the need to reform the tort system continues to trouble dentists and other health professionals. The stories are all too familiar — competent practitioners unjustly confronted with unfounded, costly litigation; the public saddled with increased health care costs and doctors practicing defensive medicine to avoid liability.
Nearly every state has introduced some type of legislation geared toward curbing concerns over increasing malpractice rates pricing physicians out of the state or their practice. Because of the media attention sustaining this issue, state houses have experienced a tidal wave of legislation focused on making malpractice cases less attractive and less lucrative. To make malpractice cases less attractive to attorneys, states have introduced a myriad of measures that would make malpractice cases more difficult to litigate. Such tactics include increasing the qualification requirements for expert witnesses, reducing the statute of limitations and requiring a certificate of merit in malpractice cases.
To make malpractice cases less lucrative, states are enacting legislation to limit the punitive and/or non-economic damages courts can award.
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ADA Priorities
- Download the ADA's Current Policies | PDF file/1.8M
Specific topics to look for are noted below:
- ADA Support for Medical Injury Compensation Reform (Trans. 2005:342)
- Federal Tort Reform Legislation (Trans. 1993:708)
- Professional Liability Insurance Legislation (Trans. 1984:548)
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Contact Us
For additional information, please contact:
Federal Affairs
1111 14th Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
202-898-2400
Fax: 202-898-2437
E-mail: govtpol@ada.org
State Government Affairs
ADA Chicago Headquarters
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312-440-2525
Fax: 312-440-3539
E-mail: govtpol@ada.org
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