[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17756]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     MYTHS AND FACTS ON REPUBLICAN MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LEGISLATION

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to debunk a couple of myths that 
we will probably hear today driving the debate over medical 
malpractice, H.R. 5.
  Myth number 1: There is an explosion of malpractice lawsuits that are 
driving up premiums. Not true. A study by Kaiser Family Foundation 
found that lawsuits are not the cause of doctors' high premiums. In 
fact, another recent study found that insurers increased their premiums 
while claims went down.
  Myth number 2: Malpractice lawsuits are the cause of rising health 
care costs. Not true. According to the CBO, malpractice costs amount to 
less than 2 percent of overall health care spending. Thus, even a 
reduction of 25 to 30 percent in malpractice costs would lower health 
care costs by a minuscule 5 percent.
  Myth number 3: The malpractice bill is about weeding out frivolous 
lawsuits. Not true. The proposed limits on damages would apply to all 
cases, no matter how serious the injury was or how egregious by the 
doctor, hospital, nursing home, or drug manufacturer.
  Any time we are talking about taking away the rights of Americans, 
you have to be measured and cautious, something House Republicans are 
unwilling to do.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 5.

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