Blue Book 2005
Resolved: That medical malpractice law should be significantly reformed in the United States.

Available in PDF only.

CONTENTS    1
FOREWORD BY WALT LARIMORE, MD    5
INTRODUCTION: MANDATE FOR MINISTRY    9
1. UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IN THE UNITED STATES    11
Introduction    11
Medical Malpractice Law and Lawsuits    11
Medical Malpractice Policy Issues    13
Who Evaluates the Adequacy of Care?    13
How Much Money Should Be Awarded to Plaintiffs or Paid to Lawyers?    14
How Should Damages Be Paid, and by Whom?    15
How Much Time Should People Have to Bring Lawsuits?    16
Newer Proposals for Statutory Reforms of Malpractice Litigation    17
Trends in Medical Malpractice Claims and Payments    18
Total Dollars in Paid Claims    19
Average Claims Payments    19
Number of Paid Claims    20
Average Defense Costs Per Claim    20
Variation Across States    21
Rising Number of Physicians    23
General Inflation and Health Care Inflation    24
Summary and Conclusion    24
Questions for Discussion    25
2. TYING THE RESOLUTION TO THE ROUND    26
The Policy Resolution    26
Defining Medical Malpractice    27
Keeping Your Research Up-to-Date    28
Organizing Research    29
Questions for Discussion    29
3. AFFIRMATIVE STRATEGIES    30
Creating the Affirmative Case    31
Definitions    31
Harms    31
Plan    31
Advantages or Solvency    32
Other Considerations in Developing Your Affirmative Case    32
The Introduction    32
Fiat    32
Inherency    32
Abortion in This Year’s Debate    33
Questions for Discussion    33
4. NEGATIVE STRATEGIES    34
Keeping the Affirmative on the Run    34
Defending the Status Quo    34
On-Case Arguments    34
Disadvantages    35
Minor Repair    35
Counterplan    35
Questions for Discussion    36
5. PREPARING FOR THE DEBATE ROUND    37
First Affirmative Constructive (1AC): 8 minutes    37
Cross-Examination of the 1A by the 2N: 3 minutes    37
First Negative Constructive (1NC): 8 minutes    38
Cross-Examination of the 1N by the 1A: 3 minutes    38
Second Affirmative Constructive (2AC): 8 minutes    38
Cross-Examination of the 2A by the 1N: 3 minutes    39
Second Negative Constructive (2NC): 8 minutes    39
Cross-Examination of the 2N by the 2A: 3 minutes    39
First Negative Rebuttal (1NR): 5 minutes    40
First Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR): 5 minutes    40
Second Negative Rebuttal (2NR): 5 minutes    40
Second Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR): 5 minutes    41
Questions for Discussion    41
6. CASE SUMMARIES    42
Reforming the Courts    42
Health Courts    42
Affidavits of Merit    43
No-Fault Compensation    43
Damage Award Caps    44
Remove Damage Award Caps    45
Loser Pays    46
ADR/Mediation    47
Reforming the Doctors    48
Three Strikes for Malpractice    48
Open NPDB    48
Disclosure and Apology    49
Reforming the Insurance Companies    50
Insurance Controls    50
HMO Malpractice Suits    51
Questions for Discussion    52
7. CASES
RADICAL SURGERY: THE CASE FOR HEALTH CARE COURTS    53
2A EVIDENCE - HEALTH CARE COURTS    55
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: THE CASE FOR DISCLOSED AFFIDAVITS OF MERIT    60
2A EVIDENCE - DISCLOSED AFFIDAVITS OF MERIT    62
STOP POINTING FINGERS: THE CASE FOR NO-FAULT COMPENSATION    65
2A EVIDENCE - NO-FAULT COMPENSATION    68
TAKE OFF YOUR CAP: THE CASE FOR REMOVING MALPRACTICE DAMAGE AWARD LIMITS    71
2A EVIDENCE - REMOVE MALPRACTICE DAMAGE AWARD LIMITS    73
DAMAGE CONTROL: THE CASE FOR LIMITING LAWSUIT DAMAGE AWARDS    76
2A EVIDENCE - DAMAGE AWARD LIMITS    78
A FOOL AND HIS MONEY: THE CASE FOR "LOSER PAYS" LAWSUITS    87
2A EVIDENCE - LOSER PAYS    89
WE CAN WORK IT OUT: THE CASE FOR RUSH MODEL MEDIATION    92
2A EVIDENCE - RUSH MODEL MEDIATION    94
TAKE ME OUT OF THE BALL GAME: THE CASE FOR "THREE STRIKES" PENALTY FOR BAD DOCTORS    97
2A EVIDENCE - THREE STRIKES FOR BAD DOCTORS    100
YES WE'RE OPEN: THE CASE FOR OPENING THE NATIONAL PRACTITIONER DATABANK    103
2A EVIDENCE - OPEN NPDB    106
THE HARDEST WORD: THE CASE FOR DISCLOSURE AND APOLOGY    109
2A EVIDENCE - DISCLOSURE & APOLOGY    111
BAD NEIGHBORS: THE CASE FOR MALPRACTICE INSURANCE CONTROLS    117
2A EVIDENCE - INSURANCE CONTROLS    120
SEE YOU IN COURT: THE CASE FOR RESTORING ERISA/HMO MALPRACTICE SUITS    125
2A EVIDENCE: ERISA/HMO LAWSUITS    128
8. BRIEFS
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: BAD DOCTORS    131
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: DEFENSIVE MEDICINE – SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM    133
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: DOCTOR FLIGHT/SHORTAGES    135
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: FEDERALISM & STATES' RIGHTS DISAD RESPONSES    137
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: FUNDING    139
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: MALPRACTICE INSURANCE CRISIS    141
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: TORT SYSTEM FAILS TO DETER MALPRACTICE    143
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: TORT SYSTEM IS BROKEN    144
AFFIRMATIVE BRIEF: UNIFORM STATE LAWS ("50 STATES" PLANS)    147
9. NEGATIVE BRIEFS
NEGATIVE BRIEF: ABORTION    148
NEGATIVE BRIEF: ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION/MEDIATION    150
NEGATIVE BRIEF: EXPERT REVIEW/CERTIFICATES/AFFIDAVITS OF MERIT    153
NEGATIVE BRIEF: APOLOGIES    155
NEGATIVE BRIEF: ATTORNEY FEES    157
NEGATIVE BRIEF: BAD DOCTORS    159
NEGATIVE BRIEF: DAMAGE AWARD CAPS    163
NEGATIVE BRIEF: DEFENSIVE MEDICINE    168
NEGATIVE BRIEF: DISCIPLINING DOCTORS/3-STRIKES    170
NEGATIVE BRIEF: DISCLOSURE OF MEDICAL ERRORS    173
NEGATIVE BRIEF: DOCTOR FLIGHT/SHORTAGES    176
NEGATIVE BRIEF: EXPERT WITNESS REFORMS    179
NEGATIVE BRIEF: FEDERALISM & STATES' RIGHTS    181
NEGATIVE BRIEF: HEALTH COURTS    184
NEGATIVE BRIEF: HMO LAWSUITS    186
NEGATIVE BRIEF: INSURANCE REGULATIONS/PROP 103    189
NEGATIVE BRIEF: INSURANCE CRISIS    191
NEGATIVE BRIEF: JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY REFORM    195
NEGATIVE BRIEF: JURIES – BYPASSING    196
NEGATIVE BRIEF: JURIES CONFUSED/INCOMPETENT    198
NEGATIVE BRIEF: JURIES - RUNAWAY    200
NEGATIVE BRIEF: LAWSUITS    204
NEGATIVE BRIEF: LOSER PAYS    209
NEGATIVE BRIEF: MICRA    212
NEGATIVE BRIEF: NO-FAULT COMPENSATION    214
NEGATIVE BRIEF: NPDB (NATIONAL PRACTITIONER DATABANK)    217
NEGATIVE BRIEF: PCF (PATIENT COMPENSATION FUNDS)    219
NEGATIVE BRIEF: PUNITIVE DAMAGES – NOT A PROBLEM    221
NEGATIVE BRIEF: STATUTES OF LIMITATIONS    223
NEGATIVE BRIEF: TORT SYSTEM IS FINE    225
NEGATIVE BRIEF: VETERINARY MALPRACTICE LAWSUIT LIMITS    227
10. SOURCE INDICTMENTS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY SOURCE NAME    229
11. GLOSSARY    235
12. ONLINE REGISTRATION    242