Fast Facts

  • The U.S. tort system cost $248.1 billion in 2009, which translates to $808 per person. (The 2010 Update on U.S. Tort Cost Trends, Towers Watson, 2010)

  • In the estimation of the Congressional Budget Office, the combined effect of those two factors would be a reduction of about .5 percent of the total health care spending. (Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options, Congressional Budget Office, March 2011)

  • The National Report Card on the State of Emergency Medicine givs our nation's medical liability environment a grade of C-. (The Medical Liability Reform Briefing Book, Health Coalition on Liability and Access, May 2011)

  • Even after adjusting for inflation, tort costs per capita have risen by a factor of nearly eight between 1950 and 2009. (The 2010 Update on U.S. Tort Cost Trends, Towers Watson, 2010)

  • Lawsuit abuse is an issue that we can all continue to agree on. From 2006 to 2008, a national survey shows that people's opinions on lawsuit abuse remained consistent. (Voters' Resounding Call for "Change" Did Not Include Wanting More Lawsuits, US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, November 2008)

  • Nearly 9 out of 10 physician specialists believe there is a problem with medical expert witnesses providing testimony on issues beyond their specialties. (SOL and American Tort Reform Association National Survey, May 2007)