A report by the Ohio Department of Insurance says that medical malpractice claims in Ohio dropped by 20 percent in 2006 from 2005. The report says that there were 4,006 medical malpractice claims filed in the state in 2006, down from over 5,000 the year before. Lawmakers are cautious, but hope that the drop is the beginning of a pattern of results from a set of laws passed in 2003 by the Ohio legislature to cap the amount of money allowed to be paid for pain and suffering and to restrict frivolous lawsuits against doctors.
The effect does not seem tied to the cause cited, however. The cap did not reduce the amount paid on claims, which increased from $269,000 to $288,000 from one year to the next, nor did restrictions on frivolous claims change the settlement rate, which did not change, since in both years four out of five claims ended without payment.
No one knows what the cause of the deviation is, but the restrictions definitely seem geared to protecting doctors and insurance companies at the expense of people suffering as a result of doctors’ mistakes. If you or someone you love has been injured by the negligence of a doctor, you need the help of an experienced medical malpractice lawyer. In Columbus, contact Robert W. Kerpsack for help in your uphill fight against the big companies and the legislature.
