According to some, this medical malpractice insurance crisis is attributable to a growing rate of medical malpractice lawsuits: when more allegedly negligent health care providers are sued, this leads to higher insurance costs for consumers. This causes some insurance companies to cut back on services provided so as to avoid potential malpractice lawsuits in the future. Those who support this view say tort reform is needed. However, opponents of tort reform point out that the average payout for medical malpractice claims, $30,000, has remained unchanged for the last decade. Also, only one out of every eight patients injured by medical malpractice ever file a claim.