Damage Caps and Physician Shortages

Considerable attention has been focused on Texas since its 2003 tort reforms, the most significant of which is a cap on pain and suffering damages in medical malpractice cases.  Most commentators acknowledge that physicians have moved to Texas in increasing numbers since the reforms were enacted.  Over at Day on Torts, John Day is continuing a series of posts providing empirical data about the tort system in Tennessee.  He notes that, despite a lack of damage caps, Tennessee maintains a higher ratio of physicians to residents (24.1 for every 10,000 residents) than both the national average (23.8) and many states with caps (Texas, for example, has 19.4).  The data comes from the CDC.  Day's post is here.

--CJR