Tort Reform and Medical Malpractice 

Tort Reform and Medical Malpractice

One of the national "debates" in which we rarely get balanced information is that over medical malpractice and tort reform. A good example of this is the recent Newsweek cover storty which, except for a one-page description of his experience in this area by John Edwards, was largely a litany of horror stories about people burned by the current tort system. It was a poorly researched and written story that reflects poorly on Newsweek, but people with little exposure to the problem wouldn't know that. For a little more balance, I recommend this blog entry by Dwight Meredith, this "Findlaw" column by Anthony Sebok, and, for those with the time and the inclination, the book No Contest: Corporate Law and the Perversion of Justice in America, by Wesley J. Smith and Ralph Nader.

This is one of those areas that doesn't often rise into the public consciousness, but when it does it is almost always projected from the perspective of big business and their corporate lawyers, whom of course they don't want you to know even exist. I believe there is a need for tort reform in this country, but I believe it is a need for greater access to the court system for plaintiffs and far less acceptance of sealed settlements.