Tom Baker

In the Media: Tom Baker

A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of 206 patients who received overdoses of radiation from CT brain scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has little chance of succeeding, says Penn Law Professor Tom Baker. "This is the kind of case that the medical liability system doesn't help us with," he said. (10/24/2009). Los Angeles Times.
Penn Law Professor Tom Baker discusses healthcare reform, explaining why the need for tort reform is greatly exaggerated. (10/8/2009). Connecticut Public Radio.
Penn Law Professor Tom Baker, author of The Medical Malpractice Myth, discusses healthcare reform on the show Radio Times. (9/23/2009). WHYY (mp3).
Tom Baker, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of The Medical Malpractice Myth, theorizes that having "a common enemy" - trial lawyers - keeps insurance and pharmaceutical companies - the real culprits behind rising costs, he said - from fighting among themselves. (9/13/2009). Philadelphia Inquirer.
President Obama called for a new look at how medical malpractice lawsuits were handled as a possible way of containing spiraling healthcare costs. But Tom Baker, an insurance industry expert at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, said that while a link between defensive medicine practices and healthcare costs existed, other factors contributed to the range of tests and procedures physicians often ordered. Those factors include patient demands and a push to increase profits. Costs related to malpractice, Baker said, including damage awards, settlements and insurance rates, constitute just a fraction of healthcare spending nationwide. (9/10/2009). Los Angeles Times.
In a Q&A, Tom Baker, a professor of law and health sciences at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and author of “The Medical Malpractice Myth,” explains why making the legal system less receptive to medical malpractice lawsuits will not significantly affect the costs of medical care. (8/31/2009). New York Times.
Tom Baker, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of "The Medical Malpractice Myth," theorized that having "a common enemy" keeps insurance and pharmaceutical companies -- the real culprits behind rising costs, he said -- from fighting among themselves. (8/29/2009). Kansas City Star.
In the 1,000 pages of H.R. 3200, the main version of the health reform bill, medical malpractice reform remains the Great Unmentioned. That's OK with Penn Law Professor Tom Baker, who says that only 4 to 7 percent of those eligible to collect from a doctor actually ever make a malpractice claim. (8/22/2009). Buffalo News.
In the healthcare reform debate, the issue of frivolous lawsuits is “just a distraction,” said Penn Law Professor Tom Baker, author of “The Medical Malpractice Myth.” “If you were to eliminate medical malpractice liability, even forgetting the negative consequences that would have for safety, accountability, and responsiveness, maybe we’d be talking about 1.5 percent of health care costs. So we’re not talking about real money. It’s small relative to the out-of-control cost of health care.” (8/19/2009). Washington Independent. Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"The medical malpractice litigation explosion is a myth.Medical malpractice, on the other hand, is real. That’s the take of Tom Baker. He’s a professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School." (8/4/2009). Corporate Crime Reporter.
"Anyone who thinks that limiting liability would reduce health care costs is fooling himself. Preventable medical injuries, not patient compensation, are what ring up extra costs for additional treatment," writes Professor Tom Baker, author of The Medical Malpractice Myth. (7/12/2009). New York Times.
“President Obama — a former law lecturer and outstanding contracts student —will exercise the power of the deal ... and will hold up the money that A.I.G. needs” to stop similar bonus payments in the future, writes Penn Law Professor Tom Baker. “After all, it’s the people’s money, and the people are with him.” (3/17/2009). New York Times.
Listen as Penn Law Professor Tom Baker and BusinessWeek writer Diane Brady talk with Radio Times host Marty Moss-Coane about the question: "Why is AIG to big to fail?" (3/9/2009). WHYY.
An annuity scheme popular in the late 19th Century could hold the key to providing health insurance for adults ages 19-29, who account for more than one-third of all uninsured adults, Professor Tom Baker writes in an op-ed. (3/9/2009). New York Times.
As litigation costs threaten to consume insurance coverage limits for financial firms sued in connection to the alleged Madoff investment scheme, Tom Baker, a professor of insurance law at the University of Pennsylvania, is skeptical that plaintiffs and defendants will enter into quick settlements in order to maximize payouts to aggrieved investors. Settlements with insurance companies typically happen only with companies that are already insolvent, he said. (2/6/2009). Law360 (Subscription).
In what will be a "bonanza for lawyers," litigation over Bernard L. Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme will pick up as victims seek help from their insurance companies – and those insurance companies balk at paying at least some of the claims, said Tom Baker, a professor of insurance law at the University of Pennsylvania. “The question will be will their insurance companies step up to the plate.” (1/30/2009). Law 360 (Subscription).
An insurance company with a potential $25 million liability from a 2007 Houston office fire is claiming smoke that killed three people was "pollution" and surviving families shouldn't be compensated for their losses since the deaths were not caused directly by the actual flames. But, "The purpose of a pollution exclusion is not to not cover people who die from smoke inhalation in a fire," said Penn Law Professor Tom Baker. "I would hope they (the insurers) lose this." (12/17/2008). Houston Chronicle.
Professor Tom Baker says "government is there to bail them [AIG] out -- which, by the way, shows that government is actually good for something -- [but] where was government ahead of time and what happened to the regulation of our financial institutions during the last eight or longer years?" (9/19/2008). ABC News.

In the Media: Tom Baker

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