Medical Malpractice Snippet

An article in todays Pantagraphout of Bloomington, IL reports a rather boring medical malpractice jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff.   The jury found the hospital negligent and awarded the plaintiff a little over $700,000.  So boring is the article on its face that I spared you quotes.

However, the case is noteworthy for two reasons.  First, Bloomington, IL is the world headquarters of Insurance giant State Farm.  How would you like to select jurors from State Farm’s own backyard and ask those jurors to take a chunk out of an insurance companies’ coffers to the tune of $700,000 for a hospital’s negligence?  “No thank you” says this plaintiffs attorney. (unknown whether State Farm was the defendant insurer in this case)

Secondly, readers who comment on online articles are not held accountable for their words nor do I suspect they are acclaimed intellects, but this comment shocks me:

” Don’t confuse the doctors with the hospital. Doctors are human, and unfortunately, do make mistakes in diagnosis. Bromenn is a good hospital, otherwise why would it be the biggest and busiest in town? Also, these lawsuits are a big part of the reason our healthcare is so expensive. The money won’t bring back this poor woman. “

Lawsuits are not reason healthcare is so expensive.  Studies show that it is actually the insurance industry who is driving up the costs of doctors/hospital premiums, not big bad plaintiffs attorneys bringing frivolous lawsuits.  And no, money wont bring back this poor woman, but its a start to compensate her family for the doctor’s poor practice and a little incentive for the next doctor to pay closer attention to the next patient.  What money (and lots of it) will certainly do is continue the insurance industry’s systematic push towards tort reform by misinforming the public as to the true costs of doctors/hospitals premiums.