In an opinion piece published for CNN this past Friday, Mary Alice McLarty, President of the American Association for Justice, argued that the way to reduce health care costs in the U.S. is to “focus on patient safety efforts” rather than put more restrictions on the rights of patients.

McLarty states that while the medical malpractice industry does cost our country large amounts of money each year, medical malpractice suits are not the main cause of health care costs and medical malpractice problems. Instead, by allowing the nearly 100,000 patients and the families of loved ones affected by medical errors each year to pursue medical malpractice suits against the medical practitioners responsible, the civil justice system is keeping those in the medical field accountable and protecting the rights of patients.

According to McLarty’s piece, preventable medical mistakes are the “sixth leading cause of fatalities in the U.S. and cost our country $29 billion a year.” Thus, seeking caps on medical malpractice claims and reforming malpractice tort law will only limit patients’ rights and cause further harm to Americans.

Suffering from medical malpractice in the form of a birth injury can substantially affect your family. Contact a cerebral palsy lawyer of the Driscoll Firm, to see what legal options you may have if your child has developed cerebral palsy because of a medical professional’s mistake.