Lawsuit reform will ease medical costs

Your recent coverage on the practice of defensive medicine ("9 in 10 doctors blame lawsuit fears for overtesting," June 28) raises an interesting question during a time when our state is in financial crisis.

The term "defensive medicine" refers to the extra tests and procedures that are often ordered not out of medical necessity, but solely due to the fear of a lawsuit. This extra testing inflates health care spending and is more likely to occur in states like Illinois that suffer from excessive medical lawsuits.

Researchers in Massachusetts recently found that defensive medicine costs the people of the Bay State $1.4 billion each year. Illinois' population is nearly double that of Massachusetts, so in our case that number would likely be in the $2.5 billion to $3 billion range. This is serious food for thought, given spiraling premiums paid by purchasers of health insurance.

Our state government - one of the largest purchasers of health insurance in Illinois - has a $13 billion hole in its budget. It's clear that a policy to ease the need for defensive medicine would be a smart move. To achieve those billions in savings, we need to recommit to achieving meaningful medical lawsuit reform.

Earlier this year Illinois lost a comprehensive reform law that was helping to rein in lawsuits. It is time Illinois lawmakers to reinstitute reforms that will relieve the lawsuit burden and help reduce health care expenses for Illinois.

Steven M. Malkin M.D.

President

Illinois State Medical Society