Insurance Reform Needed More Than Tort Reform??

Second, medical malpractice insurance premiums rose much faster in 2002 and 2003 than was justified by insurance payouts. These price hikes were not connected to actual payouts, jury verdicts or the legal system. Rather, they reflect dropping interest rates and losses experienced by the insurance industry's market investments.

According to Joanne Doroshow, executive director of the Center for Justice & Democracy and AIR co-founder, "These findings undermine one of the central claims of interest groups who seek to blame the legal system for doctors' insurance woes. In fact, the study shows that the causes of, and solutions to, this crisis lie not with the legal system (i.e., "tort reform") but with reforming regulation of the insurance industry, which has been unfairly charging doctors excessive rates to make up for their own investment losses."

According to Study, Insurers Continue to Price-Gouge Doctors Despite Falling Med-Mal Payouts