The Net Effects of Medical Malpractice Tort Reform on Health Insurance Losses

Authors

W. Kip Viscusi, Vanderbilt University Law School
Patricia H. Born, Florida State University College of Business
J. Bradley Karl, East Carolina University, College of Business

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Health Economics Review

Publication Date

11-2017

ISSN

1445-0186

Page Number

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-017-0174-2

Keywords

medical malpractice, health insurance, tort reform, liability

Disciplines

Health Law and Policy | Law | Torts

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the influence of medical malpractice tort reform on the level of private health insurance company losses incurred. We employ a natural experiment framework centered on a series of tort reform measures enacted in Texas in 2003 that drastically altered the medical malpractice environment in the state. The results of a difference-in-differences analysis using a variety of comparison states, as well as a difference-in-difference-in-differences analysis, indicate that ameliorating medical malpractice risk has little effect on health insurance losses incurred by private health insurers.

Recommended Citation

W. Kip Viscusi, Patricia H. Born, and J. Bradley Karl, The Net Effects of Medical Malpractice Tort Reform on Health Insurance Losses, 7 Health Economics Review. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13561-017-0174-2 (2017)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/faculty-publications/1553