The New York Times, July 6, 2008

To the Editor:

To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On (June 22, 2008)

Re “To the Trenches: The Tort War Is Raging On” (June 22):

One area of particular concern, especially in this election year, is torts’ impact on health care. Fears of malpractice lawsuits prompt many doctors to practice “defensive medicine,” ordering more tests and procedures than they otherwise would. The resulting cost unnecessarily adds Americans to the rolls of the uninsured by pricing them out of the health insurance market.

Lawmakers looking to improve access to health care would be wise to join the fight for common-sense tort reform.

Lawrence J. McQuillan,
Ph.D.
San Francisco, June 27

The writer is director of business and economic studies at the Pacific Research Institute, a free-market policy research and advocacy organization.