Who Benefits from Medical Malpractice Caps, Doctors or Insurers?

In an article about New York's debate over medical malpractice caps, the New York Times looks at California's experience with caps, writing:

"...states that have similar caps in place offer cautionary evidence about the big savings for health care providers that such limits are believed to produce.

In 1975, California lawmakers approved a $250,000 cap on so-called noneconomic damages in cases of medical mistakes, which has since become a model for similar proposals. At least 35 states now have at least some limits on malpractice damages."

The article, Lessons for Albany on Malpractice Limits, goes on to cite numbers from the Physician Insurers Association of America that show California and three other states with "$250,000 caps in place in 1991 saw premiums increase 28 percent in the following decade."

For the full article and analysis, link to the article on NYT at: Limits on Medical Malpractice Awards Show Mixed Results.