Tag Archives: tort reform

Another unintended consequence of tort “reform”

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Lisa Falkenberg: At every turn in her ordeal, Laura has felt irrelevant. The Houston mother of two says she was raped in her hospital bed by a doctor who she claims checked his phone afterward while she cried. She … Continue reading →

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“Environmental tort reform”

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. After failing in their attempt to limit cities and counties’ ability to take industrial polluters to court, some Houston businesses and statewide lobbyists now want to limit how much local governments can collect in penalties, a sort … Continue reading →

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More on the Abbott-Duntsch connection

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer advances the ball. How immune are hospitals? Under the current law, for Baylor to be liable for Duntsch’s mistakes, the plaintiffs have to prove that hospital administrators let him operate because they specifically intended to harm patients. Soon … Continue reading →

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More on Abbott and Duntsch

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer follows up its earlier reporting on disastrous doctor Christopher Duntsch and the efforts of Greg Abbott to ensure he is never held accountable for his actions. When I wrote about Duntsch last August, there were quite a few … Continue reading →

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Retail medical clinics

Posted on April 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I for one think they’re a good idea. Here’s a prescription for pediatricians fighting to keep easy-to-treat, well-paying patients: Expand after-hours and weekend services to serve desperate parents in search of quick remedies for their kids’ late-night sore throats and … Continue reading →

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Abbott sides with medical malpractice

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Awesome. The Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, accused of protecting a neurosurgeon who allegedly killed and maimed patients, gained an ally this week in Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. Abbott filed motions to intervene in three separate federal court … Continue reading →

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Another poster child for tort “reform”

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer asks how well you know your doctor. In late 2010, Dr. Christopher Duntsch came to Dallas to start a neurosurgery practice. By the time the Texas Medical Board revoked his license in June 2013, Duntsch had left two … Continue reading →

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More on Abbott and his lawsuit settlement

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. When Greg Abbott’s spine was crushed by a falling oak tree in 1984 he had no health insurance, no paycheck and no feeling in his legs. But he had a good lawyer … Continue reading →

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How I would campaign against Greg Abbott

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve been following Greg Abbott’s gubernatorial campaign kickoff, you’ve probably noticed that in addition to being light on substance, the Attorney General has been hitting his personal story hard, in an attempt to portray him as some kind of … Continue reading →

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Opposition gearing up for the water fund amendment

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The legislation to create a state water infrastructure fund, and the joint resolution that authorized tapping the Rainy Day Fund for up to $2 billion to seed it, had a rocky road in the legislature and wasn’t completed until the … Continue reading →

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Protecting polluters

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Ridiculous. It’s never been easy fighting powerful polluters in Texas. A bill approved by a Senate committee today would make it even harder. With a big push from the Texas Chemical Council and the Texas Association of Business, the Senate … Continue reading →

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Fix what’s broken first

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

What Texas Watch says. Imagine this scenario. Texans are facing a physician shortage. Under-served rural and poor communities struggle to attract doctors to serve their needs. Politicians scramble to find a solution to the crisis. That is where we were 10 … Continue reading →

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Judicial Q&A: Michele Petty

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Note: As I have done in years past, I am conducting written Q&As with judicial candidates. This one is a little different in that the questions were originally asked by someone else, but the idea is the same. Further explanation … Continue reading →

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It all depends on what your definition of success is

Posted on June 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

By any objective measure, tort “reform” has been a failure. A new study found no evidence that health care costs in Texas dipped after a 2003 constitutional amendment limited payouts in medical malpractice lawsuits, despite claims made to voters by … Continue reading →

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Still more evidence that tort “reform” is a scam

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Recently, I blogged about a Public Citizen report that documented the ways in which tort “reform”, specifically medical malpractice damage caps, are a scam that has done none of the things its backers promised. You might have read that and … Continue reading →

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Tort “reform” is still a scam

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I’m as shocked as you are. A national report released Wednesday says the 2003 Texas law that limited damage awards in malpractice suits has caused health care spending to rise and has not significantly increased the number of … Continue reading →

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Another point of order delays Eissler’s school bill

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HB400, the bill by Rep. Rob Eissler that among other things raises the 22:1 student:teacher limit in grades K-4, came up for debate last night after the “sanctuary cities” bill got sidetracked by a point of order. Here was the … Continue reading →

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Spending money on medical students

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have two things to say about this story, which is about a budget rider that would concentrate the money the state spends on graduate medical residencies into the doctors’ first three years of training regardless of how long their … Continue reading →

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Our healthcare system is great, if you ignore all those people who can’t afford it

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. John Zerwas demonstrates that being a physician doesn’t make you qualified to talk about health care reform. His article is as embarrassingly idea-free as his national colleagues’ plan was. After the usual paean to tort “reform” and invective … Continue reading →

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Committee assignment reactions

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rather than update the earlier post, I thought I’d do a new one rounding up various reactions to the committee assignments in the House. Matt says the Republican “Gang of 11” won big, but Democrats got little respect. Phillip is … Continue reading →

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