Perspective on capping malpractice damages

CNNfn
Thursday, November 18, 2004

 
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNNfn ANCHOR, STREET SWEEP:  Joining me here in the studio is Geoff Boehm, legal director at the Center for Justice and Democracy, an organization opposed to the tort reform movement. Welcome to the program.
...
ROMANS: Let me talk specifically about this Merck news today and this - what’s happening there. What do you think about the Merck case in particular?
BOEHM: I mean it’s particularly tragic when a company decides - not all the evidence is in yet, but when they do something or hold back information, inure vast numbers of people and do terrible, terrible damage to a great number of people the cost is high. That’s not a surprise, but that’s not a reason to say they shouldn’t be held responsible.
ROMANS: Holding people responsible that’s a recurring theme here and I want to talk about that a bit…
BOEHM: Absolutely. The best way to deal with malpractice is to avoid the malpractice. It’s to make sure that medical boards are disciplining doctors when - and they’re often not, to make sure that the FDA holds drug companies accountable. And then also to make sure there’s lawsuits. There’s regulations in the government that should hold these bodies accountable. But then also there’s the backup. And if the regulators aren’t doing their job, which may be what we’re seeing now with the FDA then it’s even more important we have private individuals who have the ability to protect themselves.
For a copy of the complete article, contact CJ&D.

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