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Survey: Reform Needed Now |
ISMIE would like to thank everyone who participated in the Liability and Litigation Trends Survey produced by the Illinois Civil Justice League. With over 1,400 responses from ISMIE policyholders, the message was loud and clear: baseless lawsuits and runaway verdict awards are driving the cost of medical practice to dizzying heights.
And still, Illinois jury verdict awards continue to climb. ISMIE's own data indicates that indemnity payments rose 15% from 1999-2000, with an estimated additional 14% jump for 2001. With tort reform legislation nullified by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1995, the situation continues to worsen. No wonder so many insurers are leaving the state.
Despite the Supreme Court's actions regarding tort reform legislation in the 1990s, the state judiciary holds the key to stemming the tide of litigation. Illinois judges can cap or overturn outrageous verdict awards, and they must be elected to the bench. Voters, however, usually know very little about the judges they vote for in state and local elections. How does one determine whether a judge will be physician friendly or not?
To address this concern, the Illinois Civil Justice League performs a crucial service by assessing judicial candidates' backgrounds, previous decisions, commitment to tort reform, and willingness to work for fairness in the Illinois civil justice system. Information about judicial candidates, by district, is then posted on their web site (last year it was www.illinoisjudges2000.com) and made available to the public.
ISMIE continues to support the Illinois Civil Justice League's efforts to support physician-friendly judges and advocate meaningful tort reform legislation in Springfield. Results from the Liability and Litigation Trends Survey will be used in an upcoming report on the status continuing need for substantive, across-the-board reform measures in Illinois. The Illinois Civil Justice League will make the results public once the report is completed.