The Case For Medical Liability Reform

Statement

Today, I made the case for medical liability reform as the guest speaker at the Congressional Health Care Caucus meeting. My congressional colleagues, three of whom are doctors, agree medical liability reform is critical to cost savings and improving patient access to care.

Before the Caucus, I presented my Oversight and Government Reform report released in February that highlights the significant impact defensive medicine and excessive litigation has on the rising costs of health care.

Defensive medicine wastes up to $210 billion annually, contributing to the high cost of health care and driving up premiums, which are already unaffordable for many Americans. Doctor concerns of litigation and high insurance costs result in moves from high-cost states and avoidance of high-risk procedures such as emergency services and newborn deliveries.

States like California, Texas, and Georgia have instituted medical liability reforms that can be looked to as successful reform models.

With this report, we may see the importance in including medical liability reform in the continuing health care reform debate.

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