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"Medical malpractice liability is
forcing many physicians to quit practicing in Illinois," said
Mitchell. "For example, the two remaining brain surgeons in southern
Illinois just recently announced they were leaving the state. This
isn't good news if you are involved in a serious accident and suffer
a head injury. Your only choice would be to drive hundreds of miles
to St. Louis or Springfield for treatment -- and your chances for
survival would be severely diminished. This is happening across
Illinois. We need to act quickly to stop the flight of physicians
from Illinois."
Mitchell invited local doctors to come
and talk with him about their concerns and what they want to see
done to remedy the problem. Mitchell said that Illinois' legal
system and skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance costs are at
the top of their list of concerns.
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column in this article]
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"The threat of medical malpractice
lawsuits and skyrocketing insurance premiums coupled with hefty
student loans are forcing many new doctors to choose to practice in
other states. Even established doctors are finding it harder and
harder to maintain a viable practice and have to work for several
months just to cover their medical malpractice liability costs,"
said Mitchell.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Chamber
Institute for Legal Reform unveiled the results of a recent survey
that ranked Illinois' legal system 44th in the nation.
Mitchell
said, "This is not a badge of honor. In fact, it simply reinforces
the message that Illinois is not a friendly place to do business and
will only further harm our attempts to create new jobs. I feel
strongly that the Illinois General Assembly needs to act quickly
this spring to enact new reforms to keep physicians working and
caring for us in Illinois."
[News release from
Rep. Bill Mitchell]
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