Abstract
In the United States, malpractice tort reform has come to be regarded by many as a principal means of reducing the high costs of medical care. Despite growing popular sentiment for tort reform evidenced in public opinion polls and in earlier research, the authors wondered about the experiences and feelings that enhance this pro-malpractice-tort-reform position. The authors report the results of their comparative inquiry into consumers' beliefs that there are too many medical malpractice lawsuits. The authors analyze data derived from a nonprobability sample of consumer residents of West Virginia and of international residents of Houston, Texas, completed in 2007-2008. Only a small percentage (about 5%) of the consumer respondents reported having filed a medical malpractice claim. Of those who did file, about 70% agreed with the position that there are too many medical malpractice lawsuits filed each year. Consumers who reported that they did not feel that a lawsuit had much of an impact on a physician's practice or lifestyle were less inclined to also feel that too many medical malpractice lawsuits are filed. The authors also found evidence that feeling that there are too many medical malpractice lawsuits bore a weak, inverse relation to the belief that medical errors have been on the rise over the last 10 years.
Published Version
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