By Joel B. Finkelstein, AMNews staff. Aug. 2, 2004.
Washington -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's choice of Sen. John Edwards (D, N.C.) as his running mate has generated a commotion in the physician community. The reason: Edwards' reputation as a trial lawyer is built largely on medical malpractice lawsuits.
The reaction has ranged from aghast to unfazed and everything in between.
"Doctors are going to panic when they think about a trial lawyer who has sued a doctor and won being near the White House," said Kerry supporter Julie Graves Moy, MD, a family physician in Austin, Texas.
One doctor reader wrote AMNews, "It is hard for me to imagine someone who could turn back the clock and oppose [doctors'] fight for tort reform more than John Edwards."
It is not surprising that many physicians are wary about Edwards, who has a history of successfully trying more than 60 medical malpractice cases, winning in excess of $1 million in more than half of those.
While the American Medical Association does not take a position on elections, the organization has marked liability reform as a top legislative priority.
The AMA believes that liability reform, including a cap on noneconomic damages, "will provide patients with greater access to care by stabilizing skyrocketing medical liability insurance premiums," according to a statement. But physicians should actively support the candidate of their choice, the statement continues.
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