Straight Talk With Sam (Frivolous Medical Malpractice Lawsuits)
Straight Talk With Sam
Frivolous Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
This month, I toured northwest Missouri to listen to the concerns about health care from people across the district. Whether it is the high cost of health care, or the availability of affordable prescription drugs, health care is an issue that touches every American.
One of the biggest problems facing doctors today is the skyrocketing cost of medical malpractice insurance. There is little question the vast majority of doctors are out to heal their patients to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, lawsuits have clouded the issue of quality and affordable health care.
I strongly believe that we must protect the rights of patients who have been legitimately wronged by a medical mistake. If we pass medical malpractice reforms, patients and doctors across the country will benefit without losing needed accountability.
With every multimillion-dollar lawsuit victory against a doctor, every other patient in America loses. Frivolous lawsuits drive up the costs of medical care by forcing insurance premiums to skyrocket. As a result, doctors are forced to either reduce their offered services or pass on the cost to consumers. Many doctors, especially those who serve Medicare and Medicaid patients, cannot raise their costs since they receive a fixed reimbursement from the government.
The cumulative effect of these lawsuits decreases available health services, particularly in rural areas, by driving doctors out of business. Unfortunately, the way the system is currently set up, doctors are being mistaken for an ATM machine. And all of us are forced to pay the fee.
A patient can only get better in a hospital, not in a courtroom. We must return to common sense medicine and protect doctors from outlandish insurance costs and patients from mounting medical costs. Medical malpractice reform is critical for every American, and I will work hard in Congress to pass comprehensive medical malpractice legislation.
http://www.house.gov/graves/straighttalk/2006issue35.htm