Unintended Consequences?

Central to the Republicans' counterproposal for health care cost-containment is tort reform--making malpractice suits more difficult to initiate and limiting punitive-damages awards. I agree that in our litigious society tort reform is needed, but who, besides the physicians, would benefit economically? In places where tort reform has been successfully implemented (California, Texas), have the physicians reduced their fees to reflect their reduced costs or simply used the savings from lower malpractice insurance premiums to augment their own incomes?