I received a press release from the American Association for Justice (AAJ) that responds to our President’s possible support of legislation that would strip away the rights of injured persons to sue careless doctors and hospitals:
For Immediate Release: June 15, 2009
Contact: Ray De Lorenzi
202-965-3500 x369
AAJ Press Room
AAJ Response to President Obama’s
Comments at the AMA
The following is a statement from American Association for Justice President Les Weisbrod regarding President Obama’s address to the American Medical Association:
“It’s clear America’s health care system is in crisis. Over 40 million people are without health insurance and costs are skyrocketing. President Obama is right that health care reform is needed now and patient safety should be the top priority.
“Empirically-based practice guidelines, developed by independent experts, is an idea we can support, as long as it does not lower quality or standards of care. Instead, these guidelines should lead to greater patient safety.
“According to the Institute of Medicine, 98,000 people die every year because of medical errors. Eliminating these errors, not further hurting the victims of negligence, is where lawmakers should focus their attention. By taking away the rights of people to hold wrongdoers accountable, the quality of health care will suffer tremendously.
“However, the notion that ‘defensive medicine’ is leading to higher health care costs is not supported by empirical data or academic literature. Recent news reports, CBO and GAO analyses, and statements from administration officials have shown that physicians will over-test and over-treat purely for financial reasons, unrelated to liability concerns.
“Limiting the legal rights of injured patients will do nothing to lower health care costs or aid the uninsured. We will work over the coming weeks and months to educate members of Congress and the administration on how to best protect victims of medical negligence.”
AAJ has developed a primer on medical negligence and the role of the civil justice system in the current health care debate. The primer can be located at www.justice.org/medicalnegligence.
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If you have been injured, or want to respond, I would like to hear from you.
Ed Wallis and other attorneys in his firm handle medical malpractie cases on behalf of injured persons and their families. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of medical malpractice, doctor malpractice, pharmacy malpractice, nurse malpractice, you can contact him at (901) 527-2125. If your loved one died as a result of the actions of a doctor or other health care provider, please call Ed Wallis today at (901) 527-2125. You can also visit Mid South Trial Lawyer for more information, or click HERE for more information.
Ed Wallis and attorneys in his firm help injured persons receive justice in Memphis, Tennessee, across West Tennessee, Jackson, Tennessee, Dyersburg, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and across the state of Tennessee. If you live around the Mid South, including West Memphis, Arkansas, Southaven, Mississippi, Olive Branch, Mississippi, Horn Lake, Mississippi, Hernando, Mississippi or anywhere in or around Memphis, Tennessee, he can be of help to discuss medical malpractice lawsuits and your medical malpractice injuries.
