[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 24, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       MEDICAL MALPRACTICE REFORM

  (Mr. MORAN of Kansas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I am on the floor tonight to 
request that President Obama include in tomorrow's discussion at the 
health care summit the issue of medical malpractice reform and 
defensive medicine--the kind of reform that will relieve Kansan 
families and business owners from facing higher health insurance 
premiums. We have to reduce health care costs, and this is a 
commonsense way to do so. If we do not control those costs, then any 
reform effort will fail, as the cost of health care and, therefore, the 
cost of insurance will increase.
  Defensive medicine, where doctors order every possible test under the 
sun for fear of being sued, costs us more than $650 billion each year, 
or 26 percent of our annual health care spending. These costs increase 
insurance premiums for doctors, and health care expenses simply get 
shifted to the patients.
  Mr. President, if you are serious about improving patient care and 
about reducing costs, add medical malpractice reform to the agenda at 
your health care summit tomorrow.

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