In a special piece for Bloomberg News, attorney Steve Cohen writes, “Tort reformers blame the prospect of malpractice suits for the proliferation of ‘defensive medicine’ and thus higher” overall healthcare costs. Physicians, it is argued, “prescribe costly tests that patients don’t need in order to protect themselves against suits.” But, Cohen contends, extensive studies, including research conducted “by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office – has shown that tort reform has had no influence on health-care costs.” Cohen concludes that physicians practice defensive medicine to bolster their incomes.
From the American Association for Justice news release.
