John Ensign: “the editor of this report has basically said the Weiss study they quote is completely misusing their numbers. I refer…”

“the editor of this report has basically said the Weiss study they quote is completely misusing their numbers. I refer you to a portion of the report entitled ``Survey Finds Wide Swings in Premiums'' because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle state that there have not been these wide swings in premiums. The report says: The size of increases in some areas in which malpractice problems with claims and claims severity have exploded was mind-boggling. Increases of 40 percent, 50 percent, 60 percent, 80 percent were not uncommon. In Arkansas one carrier boosted rates by 90.1 percent to 112.7 percent. Notice what it said here. It said, ``malpractice problems with claims and claims severity have exploded.'' The premium increases have been ``mind-boggling.'' The Senator from Illinois has put up pictures of victims of malpractice. I want to show a picture of one of the victims, because there are victims on both sides of this issue. Picture this gentleman shown here. This was a gentleman, Mr. Lawson, who was visiting the city in which I live, Las Vegas, Nevada with his family. Unfortunately, the time they visited was the week the trauma center closed because of the crisis we have in the State of Nevada. The trauma center closed, and this gentleman, unfortunately, could not get care. In this picture he looks healthy. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us.”