Understanding the First Malpractice Crisis of the 21st Century

Report Read time:
Understanding the First Malpractice Crisis of the 21st Century

Professional liability insurance crises in medicine have been intermittent, reaching magnitudes sufficient to generate widespread concern only in the mid-1970s, the mid-1980s, and 2002-2003. It is easy for health policymakers and the public to view each crisis as an upswing of the same pendulum. Malpractice premiums rise, doctors accuse lawyers, lawyers point back at doctors, and legislatures debate tort reform in arcane and repetitive terms ("collateral source offsets," "noneconomic damage caps," etc.).

This experience of déjà vu, however, is misleading. The current crisis is not simply a reprise of events in the 1970s or 1980s.

The principal difference this time around is that malpractice liability is clearly connected to overall health policy.

Downloads Report Understanding the First Malpractice Crisis of the 21st Century
Downloads Report Understanding the First Malpractice Crisis of the 21st Century

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America