Washington – Senior Health Subcommittee Member Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R-Ga.), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Congressman David Scott (D-Ga.) today introduced The HEALTH Act (H.R. 5), a bill that includes meaningful medical liability reforms to lower the cost of health care while strengthening the doctor-patient relationship. In introducing the bill, the members urged President Obama to consider medical malpractice reforms that have proved effective in reducing health care costs while maintaining a high quality of care. President Obama has previously said that he wants to work to “scale back the excessive defensive medicine … and shift to a system where we are providing better care, simply – rather than simply more treatment.” Congressman Gingrey: “The HEALTH Act’s proven reforms will make medical malpractice insurance affordable again, encourage health care practitioners to maintain their practices, reduce health care costs for patients, and save billions of dollars a year in federal taxpayer dollars by reducing the need for ‘defensive medicine.’ It is an effective way to stop wasteful spending within our health care system, while ensuring better outcomes for patients.” “As Co-Chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus and with over 30 years of experience as a physician, I know that the HEALTH Act is a time-tested and bipartisan approach to meaningful health care reform. If the President and Congress are truly interested in lowering the cost of health care in this country, the HEALTH Act is a very good place to start.” Chairman Smith: “The medical profession is plagued by frivolous lawsuits that are nothing more than the legalized extortion of doctors and hospitals. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 40% of malpractice suits filed in the U.S. are ‘without merit.’ These suits drive up the cost of health care for all Americans and drive many experienced medical professionals out of business. “Medical malpractice reform is the best way to reduce the costly practice of defensive medicine. The HEALTH Act incorporates lawsuit abuse reforms that have proved effective in states at reducing costs and enhancing the quality of care by limiting frivolous lawsuits. “I urge President Obama to consider the effectiveness of malpractice reform and show bipartisan leadership by expressing support for time-tested tort reform proposals in his State of the Union address tomorrow. The American people deserve to benefit from the reduced costs and quality care that are the result of meaningful malpractice reforms.” Congressman Scott: “Americans face many health care challenges including high annual insurance premium increases and too few doctors. Our legislation focuses on expenses that doctors face in higher medical malpractice insurance premiums and the expensive defensive medicine they practice as a hedge against liability. “We also provide more certainty to young medical students who have been concerned about liability threats. While reducing frivolous liability claims will not solve all the health care challenges in the US, it can go a long way to helping doctors focus on what matters most: providing care.”
Archives
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- September 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010

