Nationwide News
Grieving Father Lobbies Against Medical Malpractice Caps
2003-07-14
John McCormack, a state trooper from Massachusetts whose 13-month old daughter Taylor died due to medical errors, is on a mission to prevent caps on pain and suffering awards in medical malpractice cases nationwide. The Senate is under pressure from the White House to create a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages, in order to control the cost of malpractice insurance premiums for doctors. President Bush and Republican Party members, backed by the American Medical Association, claim that premiums are skyrocketing in response to “frivolous” lawsuits. McCormack, who is also pushing for “Taylor’s Law”, which would give victims more input into cases before the Massachusetts state medical board, opposes the caps. Although the cap would not affect his own lawsuit against Children’s Hospital in Boston, he fears that many families like his will suffer. “I just want the Senate to know how special she was, how jubilant she was,” McCormack says. “I want them to understand that this is not, as they would call it, frivolous.” Senate Democrats blocked the medical malpractice reform bill last week, but both parties have promised a return to the issue in next year’s election campaigns.
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