Medical-malpractice tort reform is one of the most visible legal issues in the mainstream discourse and media today.1 The debate, in its most caricatured (and perhaps most common) form, pits the champions of predictability, rationality, and affordable medical care against emotional, biased juries and injured plaintiffs; however, behind the hyperbole lies an important reality. Medical-malpractice reform seeks to balance the continuing availability of healthcare 2 and the rightful compensation of some of the tort system's most grievously injured victims.
