The myth of the medical malpractice claims crisis

So, can we put the canard of the medical malpractice crisis to rest now? Stop messing with the courts and go after the real villians are the insurance companies. Go figure.

"New research published in the latest issue of Journal of Empirical Legal Studies examines Texas medical malpractice claims and finds no tort crisis. Instead, the study's authors find that, over a 15-year period, the system was largely stable and generated few significant changes in claim frequencies, payments, or jury verdicts. 'Average payments on medical malpractice claims rose because small claims were squeezed out of the system over time, not because payments on larger claims increased,' the authors explain."

And here's Kevin Drum's take.