The Effect of Medical Malpractice Award Amount on Health: A Cross-Sectional Review of 1998 State Date

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between amount awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits and the health of a population. Data from 1998 is collected for each state and a crossectional analysis is performed. Two stage least squares is used to compensate for the simultaneity between health and the amount awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits. Although lacking statistical significance, analysis of the results supports the theory that medical malpractice lawsuits at the margin improve the health of a population.