[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 5971-5972]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE TRUTH ABOUT H.R. 5

  (Mr. CROWLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

[[Page 5972]]


  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, people on the other side are trying to pass 
off caps on medical malpractice awards as good for patients and 
doctors. In reality, it is only good for insurance companies.
  The truth is, capping medical malpractice awards does not mean 
insurance rates will fall. Compare average insurance premiums for 
States with damage caps versus premiums for States with no gaps. For 
OB/GYN doctors, especially those hard hit by medical malpractice 
awards, we find that OB/GYNs in States without caps pay only 3.4 
percent more than their counterparts in States with award caps.
  General surgery doctors actually pay $602 more, not less, in States 
that have caps in medical malpractice awards.
  Governor Jeb Bush's own CFO was quoted 2 weeks ago saying that 
medical malpractice insurance is rising in Florida because insurance 
companies are trying to make up losses in a soft economy.
  Capping medical malpractice awards will not cause insurance rates to 
go down. Capping medical malpractice awards is simply a handout to the 
insurance industry at the expense of innocent patients and victims.

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