[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 36 (Friday, March 12, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H1362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE COSTS

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, Republicans have talked so much about 
the need for tort reform, you would think that lawyers single-handedly 
were responsible for America's skyrocketing health care costs. But a 
new report from Public Citizen found that the value of malpractice 
settlements is actually the lowest it has been since 1999, and that for 
5 consecutive years the number of malpractice settlements has actually 
dropped.
  And, of course, the health care costs have gone down; right? No, 
absolutely not.
  Health care spending increased 83 percent between 2000 and 2009, 
while malpractice payments fell 8 percent during the same period.
  Blaming our health care crisis on litigation costs is simply baloney. 
I hope my Republican friends can find another theme song for their 
attempt to derail what the American people want, and that is health 
care that is guaranteed and will not bankrupt America.

                          ____________________