Medical Malpractice Payments in Illinois and Across the Nation Drop to All-Time Lows
A new study shows that medical malpractice lawsuit payments in Illinois and across the country are at their lowest level on record. This drop is largely due to the efforts of lawmakers who are making it more difficult for malpractice victims to recover for their injuries. Legislative efforts such as the Health Act of 2011 grant virtual liability to the healthcare industry and restrict the ability of injured patients to file suit. Medical malpractice attorneys at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm find it troubling that this decline in litigation has not been matched by a reduction in medical errors. While innocent victims of medical negligence are increasingly without recourse for their injuries, the healthcare system is still plagued by medical mistakes that kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. Negligent doctors and hospitals are not being held accountable for preventable harm, and patients are suffering without any means of compensation.
According to Public Citizen, inflation-adjusted data for 2010 shows that malpractice payments fell to their lowest dollar value since 1998. Meanwhile, health care spending rose 90 percent. The study also showed that malpractice payments accounted for a mere one-thirteenth of one percent of national health costs. Most of the awards that were granted went to victims of serious, permanent injuries or the families of victims who suffered fatal injuries.
Interestingly enough, while medical malpractice premiums and claims are at historic lows, insurance industry profits are skyrocketing. Prices have not dropped in line with malpractice claims, and the insurance industry is reaping significant benefits. This shows that money is being taken away from innocent patients and lining the pockets of medical malpractice insurers.
Since only a fraction of medical malpractice victims in our area and nationwide are able to file suit against negligent health care professionals, there is little incentive to eliminate preventable medical mistakes. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement estimates that medical harm occurs 15 million times a year. This includes approximately 200,000 deaths caused by preventable medical errors. Some of the most common mistakes are surgical errors, hospital-acquired infections, and operations done on the wrong site of a patient.
These errors do more than just compromise patient safety, they are also extremely costly. Adverse medical errors cost Medicare up to $4.4 billion a year. This puts a heavy burden on taxpayers who are being forced to pay a hefty price for the negligence of health care professionals. We have worked with many malpractice victims and their families whose lives have been forever changed by medical negligence. We know that litigation is necessary to prevent patients from being injured. Malpractice suits motivate unsafe hospitals to take better care of patients, and allow innocent victims to be compensated for their pain and suffering. If doctors are not held accountable for committing malpractice, medical mistakes will continue to destroy the lives of patients and their families.
