Limiting lawsuit costs would help make health care more affordable

Everyone agrees the rising cost of health care in the United States is unsustainable. Last year Americans spent $2.4 trillion, or nearly 18 percent of our gross domestic product, on health care. Frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals contribute significantly to these rising costs, with estimates as high as 10 to 20 percent of added health care costs caused by the legal system.

In many states, health care lawsuit reform, that is, reasonable limits placed on the cost of lawsuits, has helped hold costs down and provided a stable physician pool, while still allowing injured patients to h...