One of the most prominent champions for justice in Pennsylvania, Shanin Specter, recently highlighted the ills that have befallen victims of medical malpractice in that state and nationally. Some of the most poignant quotes are as follows:
“There is a silent crisis today in our civil justice system: the uncompensated victim of medical negligence.”
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“Strikingly, all states have experienced large drops in paid claims per physician. From 1992 to 2012, paid claims per physician dropped by 57 percent nationally, including 51 percent in those states such as Pennsylvania that do not impose a cap on pain and suffering damages. The number of paid claims per physician career has dropped from 1.05 in 1992 to 0.45 in 2012. Thus, the average physician will never be involved in a medical malpractice claim that results in the payment of money.”
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“The decrease in claims and damage payments results in fewer fairly compensated victims of medical negligence.”
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“The pendulum has swung too far in favor of health care providers and their insurers, and against medical malpractice victims. It’s time to move toward the center.”
It’s time for doctors who needlessly injure patients to be held accountable on a fair and consistent basis.
The insurance companies are enjoying the fruits of their lobbying efforts by blocking victims from pursuing their Seventh Amendment rights, at the same time that their hands are out to collect malpractice premiums from the doctors. The insurance companies benefit at the victims’ expense.
