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Medical Malpractice: Experience with Efforts to Address Problems

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date May 20, 1993
Report No. T-HRD-93-24
Subject
Summary:

Although the precise extent to which medical malpractice has contributed to the nation's spiralling health care bill is unknown, there is little question that the costs associated with it run into the billions of dollars. The United States faces higher costs for medical malpractice insurance and associated defensive medicine costs than other nations. Of equal importance are the profound effects that medical practice is having on the way medicine is practiced in the United States--effects that can be expected to grow in the future if the malpractice system is not reformed. GAO testified that reform of the medical malpractice system should address three fundamental issues: reducing the incidence of negligent care, fairly compensating individuals injured through medical negligence, and dealing with the complexities involved in efforts to enhance the overall quality of U.S. health care.

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