[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 67 (Thursday, May 13, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     REFORMING CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM IN REGARD TO MEDICAL LIABILITY

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, yesterday on the floor of this House, we 
passed legislation that will once again reform the civil justice system 
in regards to medical liability. Then the question came up last night 
during the hours of debate on this House as to how in the world is that 
going to lower the cost of health insurance for the uninsured.
  Well, true enough, lowering the cost of liability insurance will not 
have a direct effect upon the cost of providing insurance for the 
uninsured, but certainly removing the embedded cost of the civil 
justice system and the embedded cost of defensive medicine from the 
medical justice system will go a great way towards alleviating the 
crisis in the cost of medical insurance.
  It is estimated from a study done in 1996 that $50 billion a year 
could be saved in the Medicare program if doctors were not practicing 
defensive medicine.
  The fact of the matter remains, Mr. Speaker, we passed that bill in 
the House, it is awaiting action on the other side of the Capitol, we 
have a President right now who will sign that bill, and I think that is 
an important part for the American people to bear in mind.

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