[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1759]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ENACT TORT REFORM NOW

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the administration's health care 
bill fails to include a Republican solution that could actually achieve 
savings for patients--lawsuit abuse reform.
  Forty percent of medical malpractice suits against doctors and 
hospitals are without merit, according to a study by the Harvard School 
of Public Health. And excess damages add $70 billion to $126 billion 
annually to health care costs, the Department of Health and Human 
Services has found. These costs, of course, are passed on to patients.
  The administration has only suggested a pilot program for tort 
reform. But some States, including my home State of Texas, have already 
enacted tort reform. These States have seen insurance premiums fall and 
access to medical care expand.
  We don't need a pilot program. We need to enact medical malpractice 
lawsuit abuse reform.

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