To: The Michigan State House
Oppose the Ironically-Named Michigan "Patients First Reform Package"
Stop Michigan from joining states such as Tennessee, where tort reform has left patients who were victims of medical malpractice with no avenue to obtain justice. If HB 5669, HB 5670, HB 5671, and HB 5672 pass, the State of Michigan will also have no way of recouping costs paid out under federally-funded programs such as Medicaid for the costs of medical care for victims of malpractice. Don't let the big medical corporations get away with causing immense harm to individuals and making the tax-payer pick up the tab. Oppose these blatant attempts by the medical industry to legalize medical negligence.
Why is this important?
This is a petition opposing Michigan House Bills 5669, 5670, 5671 and 5672, also known as Medical Malpractice Reform Bills or Patients First Reform Package.
The most concerning aspect of this reform package is House Bill 5670, which states in part that an individual will not be found liable for medical malpractice if the individual "exercises professional judgment if the person acts with a reasonable and good-faith belief that the person's conduct is both well-founded in medicine and in the best interest of the patient". As patients we trust and hold our physicians to high standards and believe that they follow well-established standards of medical care. This provision would set aside those standards of care for a highly subjective determination of the "reasonableness" of conduct based upon it being "well-founded in medicine" as well as "in the best interests of the patient".
This bill allows doctors to avoid meritorious lawsuits, and it is tantamount to saying, ‘I’m a good driver, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone and I was using my best judgment’ after causing a car accident.' What matters is whether you caused the accident.