Source: Health Care Agenda for the New Congress Survey: November, 2004
A number of factors have been suggested as possible reasons for increasing cost of medical malpractice insurance. For each factor I mention, please tell me whether you feel it is very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not important at all in causing higher malpractice insurance costs. If you do not know enough about some of these factors to have an opinion, just let me know. How important is…
Note: Asked of one-half of respondents
Very important
Somewhat important
Not too important
Not at all important
Don’t know/ Refused
a. Too many doctors making mistakes in treating patients?
43
33
13
1
9
b. Too many patients making unwarranted claims against doctors?
53
23
9
6
9
c. Too many lawyers filing unwarranted lawsuits?
60
22
6
6
6
d. Too many juries making larger awards than are justified?
42
30
8
7
13
e. High profits made by insurance companies selling malpractice insurance?
49
28
5
5
12
Of those factors you said are very important in causing rising malpractice insurance costs, which one do you think is the MOST important reason these costs are rising?
Note: Also includes those who said “very important” to only one reason
32 Too many lawyers filing unwarranted lawsuits
15 High profits made by insurance companies selling malpractice insurance
14 Too many patients making unwarranted claims against doctors
11 Too many doctors making mistakes in treating patients
9 Too many juries making larger awards than are justified
* Other reason is most important
2 All same/equally important
17 None of these very important
* Don’t know
* Refused
Survey by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health. Methodology: Fieldwork by ICR-International Communications Research, November 4-November 28, 2004 and based on telephone interviews with a national adult sample of 1,396.