There is a Medicine to Cure the High Cost of Torts
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Colleagues:
Last Friday, I spoke to Mike Matray, the editor of Medical Liability Monitor about the resolution that was passed at MSSNY’s recent House of Delegates asking the Governor to form a liability task force. I explained that we are New York citizens as well as New York physicians and, on every level, we are concerned about the high cost of torts—medical and otherwise—that result in a cost of over $7,000 per NY citizen. In 2023, Florida and California combined pay less in liability payouts than New York—despite having three times our population.
When your elected representative inevitably asks how we can recruit more doctors to NY, inform them that the tort environment in NY is the worst in the country, and they need to take active steps to fix it.
If our elected representatives don’t take action on the tort environment, the result is that their constituents will face longer physician wait times with more fragmented medical care. The citizens of NY deserve better, the physicians of NY deserve better, and we expect our elected representatives to make it better for everyone.
There is a medicine to cure this disease.
And finally, I wish a Happy Easter to all who celebrate.
All the best,
David Jakubowicz, MD, FACS
MSSNY President
