[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        MEDICAL LIABILITY REFORM

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, the President of the United States came 
to this House last Wednesday night and talked about health care. At the 
end of his speech, he talked about how perhaps we could consider some, 
at least a look, at medical liability reform.
  And I encouraged the President to do that. I encouraged him to look 
at my home State of Texas. Look what's happened in Texas since 2003. 
Texas has become a magnet for doctors.
  Since the reforms passed in the State of Texas in 2003, charity care 
rendered by Texas hospitals has risen 24 percent. Texas has licensed 
almost 15,000 new physicians, which is a 36 percent increase from pre-
reform. Thirty-three rural counties have seen a net gain in emergency 
room doctors, including 26 counties which previously had no emergency 
room doctors.
  After years of decline, the ranks of medical specialists are growing 
in Texas. In my field of obstetrics, we had seen a loss of 
obstetricians in the 2 years prior to reform.
  Since the reform was passed, we have had a net gain of 192 
obstetricians in the State of Texas, and 26 counties have added an 
obstetrician, including 10 counties where none was present before.
  We have a great story to tell in Texas. I encourage the President to 
look at the sensible types of reforms that were enacted in Texas in 
2003.

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