Vote Yes on Proposition 12
Here's why you should vote YES on Proposition 12:
1. It will place limits on ''hard-to-quantify'' non-economic damages. These account for more than 65% of jury verdicts in healthcare liability cases
2. It does not impact economic damages, which cover medical expenses and lost income.
3. It will keep medical care affordable and accessible for ALL TEXANS.
4. In states without non-economic damage caps, doctors pay higher rates for medical liability insurance, which is passed on to the patient in the form of higher medical bills.
5. Skyrocketing medical liability insurance costs have forced some doctors to close or cut back their practices, reducing available healthcare in MANY areas of Texas.
6. In other states, non-economic damage caps are proven to keep healthcare costs under control for both healthcare providers and for consumers (you and me).
7. The personal injury trial lawyers and various organizations that front for them already have begun their fundraising, advertising, and (MIS)information campaigns. It?’s estimated they will spend as much as $15 million before it?’s all over.
8. If you?’re FOR affordable and accessible health care, vote for Proposition 12 in September.
9. Opponents of Proposition 12 have obscured the picture and confused the public. It is a FICTION that only incompetent doctors are sued. If this were true, the Texas Valley must attract primarily incompetent physicians because the highest percentage of sued doctors practice in this area. The reality is that juries in this area have historically given large awards to patients. Many of these doctors are sued not because of incompetence, but because they happen to practice in a favorable location for large jury awards.
10. It is also a FICTION that medical liability suits drive bad doctors out of the profession. In fact, most lawsuits where there is significant malpractice rarely come to trial, but are usually settled out of court.
11. Another FICTION is that restricting non-economic rewards will prevent any significant monetary award to a patient in a medical liability lawsuit. Actually, pain and suffering losses cannot be measured quantitatively, so an unlimited and enormous compensation can be demanded at trial. These demands are often used to strong arm physicians into settlements.
12. The potential for enormous monetary awards presents a tempting opportunity for poorly based claims against a physician. More than 80 % of medical liability suits result in no award against physicians, but they must be defended by the insurance company, often costing up to $100,000, along with the emotional impact on the physician and his/her family.
13. Proposition 12 is about placing reasonable limitations on unmeasurable areas and holding malpractice insurance premiums and frivolous lawsuits in check. Proposition 12 is not about holding physicians less accountable or denying patients awards when malpractice may be proven.
