Public favors malpractice reform but ranks it as a low priority

Healthcare Financial Management, Feb, 2005

Reducing jury awards in malpractice lawsuits and importing drugs from Canada are favored by Americans, although they are not high on a list of 12 healthcare priorities that Americans would like President Bush and Congress to address this year, according to a new survey conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard School of Public Health. The public places stronger emphasis on limiting rotting the number of lawsuits than on capping awards, and generally favors higher caps for noneconomic damages than the $250,000 mentioned by President Bush. Twenty six percent of the survey respondents cited reducing malpractice jury awards as a top priority for the president and Congress.

To read about the survey, go to www.kff.org and scroll to "Special Features" and "Kaiser Polls" on the left: then click on "Health Care Agenda for the New Congress--January 2005."