Is access to health care being improved by changes in Texas tort laws?

24 Aug Is access to health care being improved by changes in Texas tort laws?

Here are some interesting points on the current status of health reform as related to tort laws:

1. [a team at the University of Alabama]…looked at 27 states with limits on non-economic damages…” “Their conclusion – ‘Tort reforms have not led to health care cost savings for consumers” "The results of this study suggest that there are no insurance premium savings that accrue to consumers." Excerpted from: Malpractice damage caps not a cure for high health care costs by Jim Landers (Business Columnist), Dallas Morning News, April 21, 2009.

2. Texas is the uninsured capital of the United States. More than 5.8 million Texans – including 1.5 million children – lack health insurance. Texas’ uninsurance rates, 1.5 to 2 times the national average. Posted on Texas Medical Association Website. Texas Uninsured U.S. Uninsured Uninsured total population 25% 16% Uninsured children 21% 12% Source: Kaiser Commission State Health Facts.

3. “Medical malpractice premiums are less than one-half of one percent of the country’s overall health care costs; medical malpractice claims are a mere one-fifth of one percent of health care costs. In over 30 years, premiums and claims have never been greater than 1% of our nation’s health care costs.” Source: TRUE RISK: Medical Liability, Malpractice Insurance & Healthcare, Americans for Insurance Reform, July 22, 2009.

For more information, the Healthcare for America NOW website is an excellent resource on the health insurance issue and has a calendar of events being held nationwide.