What have the States done to address malpractice insurance issues?
As of May 2007, 24 states have enacted or have pending medical malpractice reforms in the 2007 legislative session. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures most of the legislation has focused on traditional tort issues such as limits to non-economic damage awards, the allocation of plaintiff attorney fees, expert witness standards, and the inadmissibility of apology statements by health care practitioners. There has also been an increase in legislation regarding greater accountability for insurance companies and state controls of premium rates. See the National Conference of State Legislatures resource titled State Medical Malpractice Reform Action 2007 for additional details.
