Cato has truly shocked me….stupefied really

by Michael Halasy
Cato has truly shocked me….stupefied really.

Those who have followed me at Angry Bear will recall my series on tort reform that I wrote this past year. In particular, I wrote a piece on the possible safety risks that patients would be exposed to, with a 0.02% increase in patient mortality with a 10% reduction in medical malpractice liability costs…

Well, just the other day, I received an update from Cato. Now, Michael Cannon is a good guy, and while he and I simply don’t agree on … well much of anything from a health policy perspective, his colleague, Shirley Svorny, wrote this:

More broadly, patients derive protection from an interdependent system of physician evaluation, penalties, and oversight that includes hospital and health maintenance organization credentialing and privileging activities, specialty boards, and the medical malpractice insurance industry. Underlying nearly all of these activities is the threat of legal liability for negligent injuries. Reducing physician liability for negligent care by capping court awards, all else equal, will reduce the resources allocated to medical professional liability underwriting and oversight and make many patients worse off. Legislators who see mandatory liability caps as a cost-containment tool should look elsewhere.

I believe that I have been consistent with this…over and over. There are some reforms that could work. So called “indirect” reforms. Joint and Severability reform, mandatory periodic payments, dedicated malpractice courts, patient compensation funds, etc. etc. But direct reforms, IE; caps on noneconomic damages DO NOT WORK.

So, I have to (gulp) swallow some pride, and tip my hat to Cato….Now I need to go take a shower. I feel a little dirty.