Tort liability problems are growing and it’s about time they got a hard look.

Across the ice-bound Northeast this winter, schools have closed at the first flake of snow. School officials know that even a minor school bus accident can lead to a million dollar judgment.

In New Jersey, patients in need of heart valve replacements and other necessary surgery have faced uncertainty in scheduling operations following a doctors’ walkout protesting rising medical malpractice insurance premiums. Similar work stoppages have taken place in West Virginia and Nevada.

Across the country, risk managers question the national smallpox vaccine plan, a key step in defending against terrorism, because the program could increase their employers’ medical malpractice and workers’ compensation exposures.