The Secretary’s Town Hall discussed with consumers, employees, large and small business owners, and healthcare providers the current state of the medical litigation system, its pitfalls and potential solutions.

Areas that were examined included:

• The impact of medical liability litigation on access to high-quality care

• The direct effect of litigation on patient safety

• The fear of litigation and how physicians practice medicine as a result

• The economic impact of litigation and how it relates to every American

• Extreme jury awards and the cause for premium increases

• Potential solutions to the current medical litigation system