Issues
Some state lawmakers might move Pennsylvania further away from balanced legal system
Pennsylvania’s legal climate is already getting appalling rankings compared to the rest of the nation for a legal system that encourages lawsuits. Yet, now some lawmakers in Harrisburg seem to think there is no harm in passing more bills that are opposite to the significant reforms needed to create a legal system that benefits consumers, keeps health-care costs in check and encourages business investment and job growth in the Commonwealth.
Legislation that could soon be voted on in the state House would depart from long-standing, successful dispute resolution processes for medical liability claims and would greatly increase the cost of litigation and the amount of damages that hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, businesses, governmental entities and individuals have to pay in liability cases. As a result, the bills would drive up health-care costs and threaten access to care.
The bills’ potential impact on the health-care system is troublesome to families, individuals and employers and would come on the heels of a federal health-care reform law that some believe does nothing to address factors driving up the costs of health care.
Given all the unknowns of the federal overhaul, as well as the delicate state of the economy, it just doesn’t make sense that some lawmakers would advance policies that could jeopardize both, especially when the Commonwealth’s legal system already compares miserably with the rest of the nation.
Just how bad is the state’s legal system?
Pennsylvania ranked dead last for its legal climate in the recent Boardroom Guide to Litigation: An Analysis of the Legal Climates of all 50 States. The study’s authors specifically noted that Pennsylvania’s unbalanced liability climate strongly discourages job creation and growth, and shows no sign of improvement in the near future. Another study, the Institute for Legal Reform’s most recent Lawsuit Climate: Ranking the States positioned Pennsylvania 36th. Other studies indicate similar results – Pennsylvania has one of the worst liability climates in the nation!
Other states welcome progress
Evidence shows that commonsense legal reforms enacted over the past 20 years have lowered consumer costs, created jobs, reduced insurance costs and increased business investment and innovation. States like Texas and Mississippi know this, and are often recognized for having legal climates that help foster investment and jobs. Too bad Pennsylvania is not reaping these benefits. And if the state lawmakers in the House side with their trial lawyer friends, Pennsylvania will never realize progress in this area.
Citizens to Protect PA Jobs urges lawmakers to create a balanced legal system that benefits all Pennsylvanians, not further erode a dismal liability climate that is driving up consumer costs, stunting research and new product development and hindering business growth and job creation.
