Joe Crowley: “a lot of people on the other side have one crucial fact wrong--capping medical malpractice awards does not mean…”

“a lot of people on the other side have one crucial fact wrong--capping medical malpractice awards does not mean insurance rates will fall. I have charts here that compare the average insurance premium for states with damage caps versus the average insurance premium for states with no caps. For OB/GYN doctors, supposedly a group especially hard hit by medical malpractice awards--we find that OB/GYNs in states without caps on damages pay $44,485 in insurance. OB/GYNs in states with caps on damages pay $43,010--a ``whopping'' 3.4 percent difference. For general surgery doctors, they pay $26,144 in premiums if they are in a state with no caps on damages. They pay $602 more--not less--if their state caps malpractice awards. Look, if we want to decrease medical malpractice insurance costs for doctors, then let's talk about that. Let's talk about investigating insurance company pricing practices. Or, if we want to cap something, then let's cap the actual problem, insurance rates. But to put the blame for rising insurance costs on victims--that's not only cruel, it's completely false.”