June 12, 2023

Medical Withdrawal?

This article at ESPN notes that sports medicine is facing a crisis due to high judgements and higher malpractice insurance rates:

The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), along with 27 co-signers, distributed an open letter recently saying that “recent and ongoing litigation may have an enormous negative impact on the medical care of competitive and elite athletes.”

The letter comes on the heels of several significant legal cases, including one where former NFL player Chris Maragos was awarded $43.5 million by a Philadelphia jury after accusing his surgeon and the group that oversaw his rehabilitation of malpractice for their decisions related to a meniscal tear. He contended in court that the case cost him at least $8.7 million in future NFL earnings, but was awarded five times that in damages.

ESPN.com

I suspect that his will work itself out by doctors charging a lot more for procedures to cover the insurance cost. So it won’t hurt elite athletes that much, but it will be more difficult for the high school player to afford care.

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