Support for Medical Liability Reform, Health Courts Continues to Build

Meanwhile, support for health courts continues to build.  A New York Times editorial asserts that “any serious attempt to rein in malpractice costs” is missing from both the House’s and Senate’s health care bills, and advocates the piloting of “expert tribunals” to “compensate injured people fairly and promptly.”  An op-ed by former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakins and Paul Howard of the Manhattan Institute notes that health courts have broad bipartisan support.  And an article by MarketWatch’s Kristen Gerencher calls health courts an idea that “promises to reshape the liability system from the ground up.”  Gerencher’s article quotes Michele Mello of the Harvard School of Public Health, who relates that health courts “would benefit many injured patients” and “would let doctors better understand what’s expected of them by removing the stigma from malpractice cases and making the liability system more predictable.”

Health Care

» David Walker: Create Health Courts to Handle Medical Liability Claims

» Letter to the WSJ: Convert All Law Schools to Medical Schools

» Survey: US Doctors Want Liability Reform

» Dr. Herb Pardes: Institute Liability Reform to Address Doctor Shortage

» James R. Copland: Tort Bar Treat

» Dr. Kevin Pho: Any Malpractice Reforms Should Put Patients First

Society

» Liability Concerns Spark Removal of Traffic Guards at Schools

» Philip K. Howard: Avoiding Institutional Madness

» Recess Mandated Now at DeKalb County, GA, Schools

» Editorial: Restoring Recess

» Walter Olson: A Destructive Toy Story Made in Washington

Education

» USA Today: Common Sense Makes a Comeback in Classrooms

» NYT: The Trouble With ‘Zero Tolerance’

» 25 Chicago Students Arrested for a Middle-School Food Fight

» Delaware Lawmaker Advocating Change to Zero-Tolerance Rules

» NYT: Isn’t Good Sense Part of the Curriculum?

CBS News’ 'Sunday Morning' Report on Legal Fear in America

The lead story on "Sunday Morning" on October 18th explored the impact of legal fear in America.  The report prominently featured Common Good Philip K. Howard, and included additional interviews with Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN), New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. 

Common Good Chair in the Wall Street Journal on the ‘Scandal’ in the Health Care Reform Debate

Philip K. Howard explains in the Wall Street Journal that, although implementing a reliable malpractice system could save as much as $200 billion a year, it is “the one reform Washington will not seriously consider…because the trial lawyers, among the largest contributors to the Democratic Party, thrive on the unreliable justice system we have now.”

Senator Bill Bradley Calls for Liability Reform, Health Courts in the New York Times

Writing in the New York Times, Common Good Advisory Board member Senator Bill Bradley asserts that the lessons of 1986's bipartisan tax overhaul can be applied to today's debate over health care reform.  "[T]he tax bill passed," Senator Bradley relates, "because each party got something it wanted."  In today's debate, he suggests, a similar compromise could be reached by combining universal coverage with medical malpractice reform.  Of this latter component, Senator Bradley writes: "Malpractice tort reform can be something as commonsensical as the establishment of medical courts …."

Common Good Partners Outline the Role of Medical Liability Reform in the Greater Health Care Reform Debate

Michelle Mello of the Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Troy Brennan outline in the July 2nd issue of the New England Journal of Medicine three reasons why a health care reform package might ultimately include medical liability reform, and three versions – including health courts – of what that medical liability reform might look like.

UPCOMING EVENT

FULFILLING THE PROMISE:
ADVANCING PATIENT SAFETY AND MEDICAL LIABILITY REFORM INNOVATIONS

A forum organized by Common Good, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for states, health care systems, and other interested entities and individuals to learn more about patient safety and medical liability reform innovations, and how to develop viable proposals for submission to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality next January.

Thursday, December 10^th
in Washington, DC

Learn more here.

POLL: NOW IS THE MOMENT FOR MEDICAL LIABILITY REFORM

A 2009 poll released jointly by Common Good and CED shows that 83% of American voters want Congress to address medical liability reform as part of comprehensive health care reform, and that 67% support the creation of special health courts.  Read the press release announcing the poll’s findings here, and a summary of the results here.

NEWTALK

Most Recent:
Social Innovation in America's Cities

In September, NewTalk hosted a special collaboration with the Harvard Kennedy School on how to foster successful social innovations to meet community needs.

LIFE WITHOUT LAWYERS