Cord Byrd: “last Wednesday, Senator Ensign introduced S. 22, the Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2006, a bill that would…”

“last Wednesday, Senator Ensign introduced S. 22, the Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2006, a bill that would ``cap'' legal damages awarded to victims of medical malpractice. Senators Santorum and Gregg similarly, just last week, introduced S. 23, the Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies Access to Care Act, a bill to limit legal damages in cases involving obstetrical and gynecological services. Today I voted not to invoke cloture on the motions to proceed to these two bills, because there has been no debate of these particular measures in the 109th Congress. There have been no hearings scheduled or held on the bills this year, and their provisions raise questions to which West Virginians deserve complete and well-considered responses. The situation in West Virginia today is not as it was several years ago, when the State legislature enacted medical liability tort reform. At that time, there was a perceived crisis based on the escalating costs of medical insurance premiums, and there were serious concerns that doctors and other health care providers may have been leaving the State to avoid the expenses they incurred in protecting themselves from legal liability.…”