News tagged with 'Tort Reform'

Improving patient safety may be a way for doctors to relieve the pressure of medical malpractice claims from injured patients, finds RAND Corporation research.

Hospitals could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars if they acted like the top five hospitals in the U.S., according to HealthGrades.

A Georgia Supreme Court decision will allow those catastrophically injured by medical malpractice to take their case before a jury and have the jury decide what the case is worth, without imposed caps.

President Obama makes his final push for health care reform as insurers are emboldened to enact large premium hikes.

The president of WellPoint Insurance faced Indiana lawmakers to answer why some individual premiums rose up to 38 percent at a time of record profits and executive bonuses.

Washington wants to know why the five largest health insurance companies racked up record profits last year - $12.2 billion – up 56 percent over 2008 numbers.

About 40 percent of Americans polled said it would be good if health care reforms proposed by President Obama never materialize.

Will 60 Senators agree to vote together in a rare Saturday session that sets the stage for the Senate health care reform debate? The vote is set for 8 p.m. Saturday and will determine whether health care reform advances or stalls.

Patient safety was highly controversial on the House floor Saturday night when members shouted "trial lawyer" to one representative. But patient safety is generally agreed to be one key to bringing down health care costs and to save at least 98,000 deaths a year, as emphasized in this AAJ campaign.

The insurance industry is on the hot seat as health care reform clearly points to insurance industry reform. When the Senate version is introduced it will include repealing an act that since 1945 has given insurers the freedom to charge what they want for consumers' health insurance and doctors' medical malpractice insurance.

The House just pass health care reform moments ago in a historic change to the way health care is delivered in this country.

Saturday night a historic vote on health care reform is nearing with a few changes - an abortion amendment was added in some last minute wrangling and the Boehner substitute amendment was defeated.

A House vote is expected tonight on HR 3962.

Medical errors are costing Americans at least $17 billion a year, but is not the focus of health care reform. In fact, the Republican version makes it much tougher for those already injured to seek help.

This afternoon there was some agreement when lawmakers voted 242-to-192 to approve a must-pass procedural measure to set up terms for debate of the $1.2 trillion health care reform bill. President Obama visited with lawmakers to urge passage.