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The current crisis in medical liability in several states has prompted numerous meetings at the national level. The following report summarizes information gathered at several of these meetings that is of importance to dermatologists.
A national conference was sponsored on March 20, 1975, by James F. Hastings, US representative from New York, a leading legislator in the field of health care. The economics of the malpractice problem were emphasized by numerous speakers, who placed a $1 billion tag on malpractice insurance, plus a $5 billion tag on defensive medicine. Furthermore, in numerous states, insurance will not be available for a period of weeks (as in California) or months. If available, it will substantially raise the price of health care, and force many physicians out of practice, particularly the elderly and the part-time physicians. Only 16 to 27 cents of the insurance dollar reaches the successful claimant.
The initial address was