The managing editor of the Henderson (TX) Daily News wrote in commentary, “Texas may not have been the first state to welcome tort reforms but I can’t imagine anyone embracing it with such wild enthusiasm as Texans over the past 20 years or so.” He adds that in his failed presidential campaign, Gov. Rick Perry “perpetuated the myth that implementing Texas-style tort reforms would go a long way toward curing what’s wrong with the healthcare system.” Noting that malpractice insurance premiums dropped after the state enacted curbs on non-economic damages awards, the author notes that the state’s post-enactment doctor-population ratio fell to nearly the bottom of the states. In fact, he says, Texans “would be hard pressed to claim any direct benefit — except, that is, for Texans who are doctors. Medical liability premiums have declined by nearly 30 percent since tort reforms were enacted.”
From the American Association for Justice press release.
