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Tort reform: do details matter?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2021

Rachel G. Childers Open the ORCID record for Rachel G. Childers [Opens in a new window]
Rachel G. Childers*
Affiliation:
Presbyterian College, 503 S. Broad St., Clinton, SC29325, USA
*
Corresponding author. Email: rgchilder@presby.edu
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Abstract

One explanation for increases in health care costs has been malpractice lawsuits. States have introduced several types of tort reforms to control increases in health care costs. This paper adds to the literature by examining how the differences in joint and several liability (JSL) reforms affect the state-specific growth rate in health care expenditures. Additionally, the paper addresses the potential for a fundamental difference between states that pass different types of liability reforms. The results show that JSL reforms that limit joint liability based on percentage of blame have statistically and economically significant impacts on health care expenditure growth rates.

Keywords

Medical inflationliabilityI18K13
Type
Article
Information
Health Economics, Policy and Law , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , July 2021 , pp. 308 - 324
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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