[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17681-17682]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           PATIENTS FIRST ACT

  Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, earlier this week, I voted in favor of 
invoking cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 11, the Patients First 
Act of 2003. My vote was not an endorsement of S. 11 as it was 
introduced in the Senate. In fact, I have concerns about various 
aspects of the bill--including the $250,000 cap on noneconomic 
damages--and I anticipate supporting amendments to S. 11 if the Senate 
has an opportunity to fully debate this legislation.
  However, I do believe that reform of the medical liability system 
should be part of a comprehensive response to surging medical 
malpractice premiums that endanger Americans' access to quality medical 
care by causing doctors to leave certain communities or cease 
practicing medicine altogether.

[[Page 17682]]

For this reason, I voted for cloture on S. 11 in an effort to move the 
debate forward.
  I commend Senator Feinstein of California for working with the 
majority leader to craft a bipartisan proposal for reform, and I am 
hopeful that they will revive their discussions in the near future.

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