When an injured patient "wins" a medical malpractice case, where does the money go? Well, if he or she needs medical care, the money pays for that care, which the person did not need until they were hurt. In other words, much of the money (ironically) goes right back into the health care system to treat injuries that the medical industry itself inflicted.
If the patient can no longer work, they'll be compensated for their lost earnings. But what if malpractice destroyed the patient's reproductive system, or disfigured or mutilated their body? Or what if a child dies due to gross negligence? Shouldn't there be compensation for that too? The answer, of course, is yes. And juries make those decisions everyday -- that is, unless the state has "capped" compensation for these kinds of injuries, also known as "non-economic damages." In those states, politicians who have never heard a word about a case, seen a lick of evidence or have any idea about the depth of someone's loss, have already decided what that damage is worth.
Half the states today have brutally-low "one-size-fits-all" caps, or limits on compensation for injuries like this. A child who is blinded is treated like a senior citizen who has permanent pain due to negligent care or a mother who loses her son or daughter. "Caps" apply no matter how much merit a case has, or the extent of the misconduct by the hospital, or the severity of the injury or loss.
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