Nearly 6 in 10 Florida Voters Want Transparency for Medical Damages
02.01.23
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tom Gaitens, Executive Director
Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse
New Poll Shows Floridians Think Juries Should Hear Medical Cost Comparisons Before Awarding Damages
[TALLAHASSEE, FL] February 1, 2023—Today, Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse released a poll highlighting Florida voters’ desire for more transparency when it comes to awarded medical damages.
According to the poll, 55% of Florida voters believe the jury should know if the plaintiff agreed to higher-than-average medical treatment costs when they are deciding whether the defendant should have to pay more for those costs. This data proves that Florida voters care about transparency when it comes to medical damages and how plaintiffs are compensated.
Furthermore, 71% of Florida voters believe medical providers should not be able to charge more than they would if the plaintiff was using insurance to cover the costs. In fact, voters from both parties agree efforts should be made to increase transparency to stop lawyers and providers from taking advantage of the system by inflating the cost of medical care. And all voters are concerned about the impact that excessive damages have on Florida’s small businesses.
“It’s high time that our legislature addresses the issue of transparency when it comes to medical expense recoveries,” said Tom Gaitens. “Several other states such as Montana, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Michigan have all enacted key legislative reforms to address issues related to medical damages and windfall recoveries, it’s time that Florida follow suit. It is imperative to provide juries with an accurate understanding of a claimant’s medical expenses and give them the information needed to place a reasonable value on the medical treatment,” added Gaitens.
Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is hopeful that the Florida legislature will continue to enact legal reforms after its December 2022 special session which addressed property insurance reform. Ahead of this regular session, the legislature should work to take steps to prevent injury damages awards from being inflated by windfall recoveries and bring transparency to the process.
Florida Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (FLCALA) is a nonpartisan grassroots movement of citizens and businesses fighting against lawsuit abuse in Florida. FLCALA serves as a watchdog to challenge the misuse of our civil justice system that has cost our state’s economy billions of dollars and led to numerous bankruptcies and shattered lives. For more information visit: https://cala.com/florida/
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