I knew it was coming to this! As consumers of medical care, this should alarm you! A group of New Jersey obstetricians and gynecologists has begun asking prospective patients to sign away their right to a jury trial.
Citing the high cost of medical malpractice insurance, more than a dozen ob-gyns have joined Obstetricians & Gynecologists Risk Retention Group of America (OGRRGA), a new Montana-based company. As part of their participation in the group, these physicians are requiring patients to sign agreements stating that they will pursue any subsequent disputes through binding arbitration. They also must agree that pain-and-suffering awards will be capped at $250,000.
Let’s say your ob-gyn’s negligence in delivering your child causes your baby to suffer such horrendous injuries that, while they will have a normal life expectancy, they will be blind, deaf, and never function above the level of an infant. These doctors believe that $250,000 is enough damages for the pain and suffering of your baby and your family. And by the way…if you fail to pay our doctor’s bill he will sue you in court.
Pretty damn outrageous!
Read the news report for yourself.