LAWSUIT ABUSE REFORM IS WORKING FOR FLORIDA

Subject: txt 1st hcare crpt - -
In 2003, Florida passed lawsuit abuse reforms to tackle the issue of excessive litigation. The new law required attorneys in most workers' comp cases to base their fees on the value of benefits they secured for their clients -- measured by the amount ultimately awarded to the claimant above the initial offer by the employer or insurer to settle the claim. As a result:

• The workers' compensation rates and costs declined 60.5 percent, at a time when costs increased in the neighboring Gulf States.
• This gave employers and insurers an incentive to make their best settlement offers at the start.
• It discouraged attorneys from representing claimants when it was unlikely their work would add significantly to the final award.

As a result of the changes, over the 2003 to 2008 period, the rate of increase in medical costs in Florida's workers' comp system was about a third less than in other neighboring states:

• By 2009, Florida workers' comp rates were among the lowest in the country for similar occupations.
• The time required to resolve claims fell significantly, whether or not attorneys were involved.
• This reduced overall costs and it also reduced the average time before workers returned to gainful employment.

Florida's experience shows the ability of lawsuit abuse reform to reduce litigation costs without harm to the injured. Applied nationwide, such reforms would save billions of dollars off the nation's health care bills while improving the quality of patient care through faster action.

[Yet none of the health 'care' proposals currently being considered by congress address the issue at all...]

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image toon - 1st hcare bbro legal - Oby = stop lawsuit bleading by removing victims wallet