Why Real Health Reform Must Center Public Safety, Not Spin

An opinion piece recently highlighted a debate over medical malpractice laws in New Mexico, where some claim too many lawsuits are driving doctors away. But that argument ignores a deeper problem: the corporatization of health care and the habit of blaming victims and their attorneys for systemic failures.

Studies show hospitals owned by private equity or motivated by profits often cut corners — understaffing, rushed care, and diminished accountability — which directly harms patients. The real driver of high insurance costs and provider shortages is not lawsuits or trial attorneys, but a profit-first system that sacrifices care for revenue. New Mexico Voices for Children

Dismantling civil justice protections through caps on damages or attorney fees won’t make health care safer. It will silence victims, shield negligent providers, and leave New Mexicans without recourse when harm occurs.

Deidre Murphy lays it all out in this insightful op-ed for the Albuquerque Journal: https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/article_f1145c96-ad06-4c05-aecf-9c07144d0834.html