As the Legislature prepares to reconvene for yet another special session on the medical malpractice issue, the battle between supporters and opponents of a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages is getting downright nasty.
Last week, a group called Floridians for Patient Protection held a rally in Tampa complete with a 15-foot-tall wheelchair. Calling themselves an organization of victims of malpractice, members cited personal medical horror stories as their rationale for opposing caps on awards.
But when the president of the group, Jacqueline Imbertson, refused to disclose who finances the group or the television ads being run in its name, representatives for another selfless-sounding group swung into action.
In e-mails to reporters, a spokesman for the Coalition to Heal Healthcare noted that Imbertson's group is registered with the state as an affiliate of - surprise - the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. The two groups share an office in Tallahassee as well as the same chairman, Scott Carruthers. The day after the Tampa rally, Imbertson confirmed that the trial lawyers group started her organization and funded the TV ads.
"But we have become an activist group of victims and their families," she said. "We're working on positive solutions so there's less malpractice."
But what about the Coalition to Heal Healthcare? It proudly boasts that it is backed by the Florida Hospital Association, the Florida Medical Association and "130 top medical and business groups." Among those are major insurers such as BlueCross BlueShield of Florida and First Professionals Insurance Co.
