Medical Errors Hurt Real People

Jan. 17, 2005 - Linda McDougal awoke from her double mastectomy to hear her surgeon tell her, "You don't have cancer." Her first thought was, what a relief.  And then he said, "You never had cancer." Two pathologists had switched her biopsy results with another woman's - which means both Linda McDougal's breasts had been amputated unnecessarily.  As she puts it, "Victims deserve to have their cases decided by a jury.  A citizen's right to have a jury of one's peers decide justice has forever been a cornerstone of our country." This right should not be taken away to benefit insurance companies. 1/17/05

Watch/Listen to Linda McDougal (30 seconds)

States with Caps on Damages Have Higher Insurance Rates

Caps like those proposed by President Bush only affect the most egregious cases - cases like Linda McDougal's. These limits do nothing to address so-called "frivolous" cases and nothing to prevent future errors.  Research shows that states with caps on damages actually have higher insurance premiums than states without caps.