LIABILITY REFORM

The surge of civil lawsuits in the United States has become a tidal wave.  This crisis has been particularly costly to patients in the health care setting, as it increases premiums and causes the removal of medical services and products from the market or never to be developed. In more than one-third of the states, the liability insurance crisis is so great that it forces physicians to quit their practices or limit the availability of services. For example, one in seven obstetricians no longer delivers babies and, as a result, nearly half of America's counties lack an OB/GYN. Thus, the liability crisis in health care and its associated costs hurt patient access to health care. Broad-based legislation must address the crisis in medical liability, guarantee patient access to health care facilities and professionals, reduce health care costs for both providers and patients, and ensure health care quality and safety.