Nationwide Clarus Poll Reveals That A Large Majority Of U.S. Voters Think Legal System Increases Cost Of Health Care

NEW YORK, May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new nationwide poll finds that heavy majorities of voters across party lines believe that the legal system is increasing health care costs. The survey also found that 66 percent of voters favor taking medical claims out of the current legal system and putting them into new health courts with expert judges. The poll was conducted for Common Good by Clarus Research Group.

Among the poll's key findings are the following:

• A strong majority of voters––75 percent––believe "lawsuits and legal fees are a major cause of high medical insurance rates." Eighty-nine percent of Republicans, 76 percent of independents and 62 percent of Democrats agree on this.
• Sixty-eight percent agree that "plenty of good doctors are leaving the practice of medicine because of the number of lawsuits and the cost of liability insurance." Seventy-eight percent of Republicans, 64 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents agree.
• Two-thirds (67 percent) of voters say they believe that "fear of being sued is causing doctors to order unnecessary medical tests and procedures just to protect themselves from possible lawsuits." Seventy-five percent of Republicans, 67 percent of independents and 59 percent of Democrats concur.
• Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of voters support the idea of creating special health courts to decide medical claims. Only 25 percent say those claims should be decided as they are now. There is virtually no difference between Democrats and Republicans on this issue: 68 percent of Republicans, 67 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents support health courts.

"Americans know they're paying unnecessary health care costs because our system of medical justice is unreliable," said Philip K. Howard, Chair of Common Good. "It's time to end the waste – tens of billions annually – and create reliable health courts."

The nationwide survey was conducted April 25-26, 2012 by Clarus Research Group, a nonpartisan polling firm based in Washington, D.C. The survey's sample of 1,000 self-identified registered voters has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent. Interviewing was conducted through live telephone calls, using both landline and cell calling.

Common Good (www.commongood.org) is a nonpartisan government reform coalition dedicated to restoring common sense to America. The Chair of Common Good is Philip K. Howard, a lawyer and author of Life Without Lawyers and The Death of Common Sense.

SOURCE Common Good