When President Trump delivered his State of the Union speech before the joint session of Congress on Feb. 28, 2017, he falsely asserted that medical malpractice liability reform would greatly impact the costs of health insurance and pharmacy drug prices.

In response, the American Association for Justice (AAJ) made the following statement:

“There is no evidence that rigging the legal system to strip Americans of their rights to hold wrongdoers accountable will lower the cost of health insurance. In fact, studies have found that limiting consumer and patient rights may actually increase costs to patients.”

The AAJ also stated:

“We can be certain that depriving Americans of their rights to hold negligent health care providers, nursing home corporations, and drug companies accountable will have disastrous consequences for patients who are injured or killed by dangerous medical products or services. Americans harmed by the reckless actions of medical professionals have a right to hold the responsible parties accountable. If no one is accountable, no one is safe. The American Association for Justice stands strongly on the side of patients and will strive to protect their ability to enforce their rights.”

Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has been a long-time member of AAJ and fully supports it and all those who reject any of the many proposals made in Congress or in state legislatures around the country to either limit or eliminate the rights of patients to hold medical providers accountable for their negligence, omissions or commissions that have either injured or killed patients and loved ones.

Most of the 50 states have their own rules and procedures with respect to medical malpractice, nursing home abuse and negligence and product liability cases. In Illinois, where Robert Kreisman has been practicing for more than 40 years, the Illinois General Assembly has three times tried to limit the noneconomic damages associated with just medical malpractice cases. The Illinois Supreme Court has — in three cases — rejected the legislation and found each of these acts unconstitutional.

Illinois lawyers and Robert Kreisman will continue to fight against any new legislation, whether state of federal, that may limit the rights of patients. It is extremely unfair that medical professional societies and its many lobbyists have in many states been successful in limiting the rights of patients to bring lawsuits against medical providers for their bad acts, negligence and deviations from the accepted standards of medical practice by titling the balance of justice in favor of those hospital corporations, pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies.

AAJ, the Illinois Trial Lawyers’ Association and other state organizations have for many years faced the same federal proposals by Republican-led presidents and Congress. Organizations like AAJ and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association need all lawyers and all who are genuinely concerned about the rights of patients to stand vigilant and the vigorously oppose any and all legislation, whether federal or state, that would limit the rights of patients to have their fair and equitable day in court.

Robert Kreisman has been an active member of the Illinois and Missouri bar since 1976.

Kreisman Law Offices has been successfully been handling medical negligence lawsuits, wrongful death cases, birth trauma injury cases and nursing home abuse cases for individuals, families and their loved ones who have been injured or killed by the negligence of a medical provider for more than 40 years, in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Hoffman Estates, Hillside, Harvey, Harwood Heights, Bartlett, Arlington Heights, Barrington Hills, Dolton, South Barrington, South Chicago Heights, South Holland, Steger, Sauk Village, Chicago (Jefferson Park, Hyde Park, Beverly, Rosehill, Little Italy), Glenview, Northbrook, Lake Forest, Joliet, Bolingbrook, Flossmoor and Mount Prospect, Ill.

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