Government

Calif. governor stumps for liability reform

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 16, 2009

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

California's medical liability reforms have helped contain health care costs in the state and serve as a model for comprehensive health system reform efforts.

That's according to an Oct. 27 letter that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote to congressional leaders as the U.S. House was preparing to pass a health reform bill. California's liability reforms center on a $250,000 noneconomic damage cap, a concept that has been rejected repeatedly by federal lawmakers, including in the House-passed measure.

The 34-year-old California law has helped reduce physicians' liability insurance rates to some of the lowest in the nation and saved overall health care costs in the state, Schwarzenegger wrote. "These common-sense reforms should be included in national health reform efforts."

Consumer advocates fired back in a separate letter saying it was state insurance reforms, not caps, that improved California's liability climate. Consumer Watchdog disputed the use of "draconian limits on the legal rights of injured patients as a successful cost containment tool."

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/16/gvbf1116.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn