Average Claim Payments In Georgia Are Substantially Increasing?  FALSE.

The report of a one million dollar average award being reported by the media and used by MAG, GHA and the insurers is simply wrong.  As stated in a recent Wall Street Journal article, this data is collected unscientifically, tends to include only large verdicts, and does not include defense verdicts, non-jury trial verdicts, verdict reductions, settlements or verdicts overturned on appeal.[10]  Nonetheless, the JVR publications relied upon by the insurers to prove a malpractice crisis exists in Georgia actually confirms the exact opposite:

The truth is that according to JVR’s own publications, the median medical malpractice verdict in Georgia for the years 1995 to 2001 was significantly less than the countrywide medians for the same years.  It was reported this year Georgia’s median was less than one half the national average.[11] 

Data from the National Practitioner Data Bank reflects the further truth that the median size of medical malpractice claims in Georgia (in excess of $25,000) has remained essentially level over the past four to five years in stark contrast to the 34% increase in the median paid claims for the rest of the country.[12] 

According to data received from MAG Mutual, its average payout to victims of medical negligence in Georgia as of May 2002 was only $269,015, down by close to $100,000 per claim since 1999. 

 And, when adjusted for inflation, b>the average payout by MAG has gone DOWN by over 5% since 1991![13]

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