Senator Hollings on Medical Malpractice

Fritz Hollings, the Senator from South Carolina, always has some pointed things to say about tort reform and medical malpractice. His July 8th, 2003 floor speech to the Senate made some good points:

58,000 people died in the ten years we were in Vietnam. 100,000 people die every year due to medical malpractice.

In West Virginia, just forty doctors cause 25% of the state's malpractice claims.

Florida, Michigan, Texas, and West Virginia - all states with damage caps - have the highest malpractice insurance premium rates.

2/3rds of Medical Malpractice cases are dropped or dismissed with the plaintiff taking nothing.

Just .9 percent of malpractice plaintiffs are awarded money by a jury.

For the past ten years, the number of malpractice suits has remained steady.

Since 2000, the average malpractice jury award has gone down by 50%.

I don't know too much about Senator Hollings' positions on other issues, but I strongly agree with his position regarding the medical malpractice "crisis".