This blog has talked about the many facets of medical malpractice cases in Connecticut. We’ve discussed the basics of negligence and how professional negligence standards differ from the normal ones. We’ve touched on some of the procedural requirements for filing a medical malpractice claim in Connecticut, including getting a medical opinion letter by a similar practitioner before filing the case. We’ve also pointed out that, many times, the results of medical malpractice can be devastating to victims in terms of increased medical costs, as well as increased pain and suffering.
It seems that debates in the media often revolve around the fact that medical malpractice law suits make health care more expensive. There seems to be a popular idea that these suits result in huge damage awards that cost the health care system money. This is reinforced by the fact that news reports tend to focus on the biggest cases. However, the facts on medical malpractice awards in Connecticut are a bit different.
According to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, for the decade encompassing 2005 to 2015, there were 1,785 medical malpractice pay outs in Connecticut. So, in states with more than 3 million people, fewer than 2,000 medical malpractice payouts occurred over a ten-year period. Further, contrary to the public perception, most of these payments were not huge awards for victims. In fact, only about 13 percent of medical malpractice payments in the state over the decade covered were over $1 million and less than 4 percent were over $2 million. The highest percentage category of payments was under $50,000, at about 22 percent.
As it can be seen by the information listed above, the worry that medical malpractice payments are a huge drain on the healthcare system in Connecticut may be overblown. What should be remembered, however, is that the awards that do occur go to help real people in their attempt to overcome very real problems that were caused by the negligence of medical professionals. These wronged patients generally deserve to be compensated for the damage done to them and their families.
