Quin Hillyer: “In West Virginia . . . after the state legislature put a $250,000 cap on pain and suffering damages, the Charleston Area Medical Center was able to add about 100 new doctors in three years. Before the reforms, the center could barely keep enough doctors, especially orthopedic surgeons, to remain staffed around the clock.
In Mississippi, the largest medical malpractice insurer cuts its rates for 2008 by 15.5 percent. Since 2004, when the state strengthened caps on pain and suffering damages, the rates have come down a whopping 45 percent.”