Liz Saville Roberts: “I thank the Chair. As his neighbor to the west, I share Senator Bond's concern for our health care providers and…”

“I thank the Chair. As his neighbor to the west, I share Senator Bond's concern for our health care providers and patients. But it seems that we have a ``tale of two cities'' between Kansas City, KS, and Kansas City, MO. Just across the State line, we in Kansas have problems and challenges. But we don't have the same severe problems Missouri doctors and patients are facing. That is because, in the 1980s, Kansas enacted sweeping medical liability reform legislation that does create a hard cap of $250,000 on noneconomic damages. By contrast, that same cap in Missouri is $557,000 and can go even higher under certain circumstances. As the Senator from Missouri said, you won't find it surprising that nonsurgical specialists in Missouri are now seeing very dramatic liability premium increases that have been, until now, limited to surgical specialties. One pulmonary practice's quote for traditional insurance went from $35,000 to $125,000 per year. Another pulmonary specialist quit practicing at North Kansas City Hospital because he couldn't afford the premium on his Missouri practice. Now, as the Senator knows, he practices in Kansas. Here is another example. We have learned that both neurosurgeons in Independence are moving out of Missouri this summer leaving eastern Jackson County with no neurosurgeon. There is no trauma care basically between the Kansas State line and Columbia, 2 hours to the east.”