[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2489]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         MALPRACTICE INSURANCE

  (Mr. PRICE of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, when I opened up my local paper 
the other day, I was troubled by a letter to the editor. This gentleman 
was lamenting the fact that he and his wife were losing a long-time 
doctor because the physician could not afford to remain in business. 
What is even more troubling is that none of this is a surprise.
  Every day more and more doctors across the country are watching their 
malpractice rates skyrocket. These premiums are going up as the 
insurance companies are being forced to pay higher and higher awards 
for malpractice lawsuits.
  Doctors need to be held accountable, yes. However, there is also a 
need to recognize the institutional abuse that is far too often 
perpetrated in our courts by personal injury lawyers and the frivolous 
lawsuits they introduce. These lawsuits do not just affect doctors. 
They are affecting patients all across the country who either lose 
access to their doctor altogether or are cared for by a physician who 
has been intimidated into practicing defensive medicine.
  While everyone is talking about rising health care costs, let us not 
forget to recognize there are a number of different ways to lower those 
costs, and starting with lawsuit abuse reform would be a genuine first 
step.

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