title: Compensating medical injury victims in the United States: there must be a better way.
abstract: The crisis of medical malpractice insurance affordability and availability, highlighted by significant annual premium increases in many states, has led many observers to question the adequacy of state civil justice systems for compensating medical injury victims. Evidence exists that (a) many victims of medical injury are not compensated, (b) the state civil litigation systems present formidable obstacles to many injury victims seeking compensation, (c) many legitimate claimants may not be able to secure legal representation for their cases, and (d) the chance of recovery and the amount of damages awarded depend on the state in which the plaintiff resides.
authors.affiliation: Moses Taylor Healthcare System, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Costello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D035881:Compensation and Redress / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005249:Fees and Charges / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D007351:Insurance, Liability / Q000191:economics*; D008318:Malpractice / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012935:Social Justice; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States