John Ensign: “very briefly, this is an amendment to improve the health care system in America. We talk about making health care more…”

“very briefly, this is an amendment to improve the health care system in America. We talk about making health care more affordable. One of the ways to do that is to encourage people to give away health care. In my veterinary practice, I used to give away about 10 to 20 percent of my business. I did not have to be worried about being sued. Every doctor, every health care provider I have talked with, if they give away, if they do it pro bono, if they do it out of compassion, that is one of the first times they are going to get sued. What this amendment says is, unless there is gross negligence, if a health care provider is giving their services away out of the compassion of their heart, they cannot be sued. It is a very simple amendment. We have had this debate on the Senate floor before. This would greatly improve our medical system by encouraging people to be compassionate for those who cannot afford medical care, but they should not have to be worried about being sued if they happen to be compassionate enough to give their services away. This is a commonsense amendment. I encourage all our colleagues to vote for this amendment. This will improve our health care system in the United States.”