Another skirmish erupted last week in the battle between lawyers and doctors over the skyrocketing cost of malpractice insurance. The spur was a suggestion made by the American Medical Association and other doctors' groups that medical malpractice cases be taken away from the courts. Instead, they would be decided by state boards that would have responsibility for disciplining doctors as well. The plan would also impose strict guidelines on damage awards, including a cap on noneconomic damages such as those for "pain and suffering."
Lawyers' groups quickly denounced the idea as unconstitutional, a threat to the rights of patients and maybe...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
