I think the problem with law suits raising the cost of medical care is misplaced responsiblity. There are honest mistakes made by anyone, many doctors have done exactly what should have been done but, for a varitety of reasons having little or nothing to do with neglience, things have gone wrong. Massive law suits from such accidents should not be pursued.
On the other hand, those doctors who are in fact negligent or stupid should have to pay everything they might ever be worth to get them out of medicine if nothing else. If doctors themselves would do a better job of culling losers the remaining docs would have greatly reduced insurance costs. Sadly, it seems most docs will circle the wagons to protect a loser because they like him and don't want to deprive him of his living, no matter the cost to his victims.
Perhaps we, the people, are collectively guilty of stupidity by returning irrational verdicts and massive awards to some poor soul just because they had bad luck even tho the doc/hospital, etc. did no wrong. that's how Sen. John Edwards got filty rich, off the pain of others from docs who really didn't do wrong. And we actually pay those costs everytime we go to see our own doctor or hospital.