Chris Chocola: “Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest problems facing our health care system today does not start in the doctor's office or in…”

“Mr. Speaker, one of the biggest problems facing our health care system today does not start in the doctor's office or in the operating room; it starts in the courtroom. We have a problem in America. There are too many frivolous lawsuits against good doctors, and patients are paying the price. It costs money to fight a frivolous lawsuit and oftentimes, in order to avoid litigation, doctors and insurance companies settle cases, even though they have not committed a medical error. So it pays to sue. One can file lawsuit after lawsuit and eventually the legal system begins to look like a lottery. With the trial lawyers taking as much as 40 percent, it is clear who is winning. We want our legal system to benefit patients, not trial lawyers. Anyone who has been harmed at the hands of a doctor should have their day in court. They should be able to recover the full cost of their care, and they should be able to recover reasonable noneconomic damages. But we know the insurance companies raise the cost of medical malpractice coverage when faced with the risk of unlimited noneconomic damages. Doctors cannot afford to pay their insurance premiums and end up raising rates or leaving their homes for States with reformed medical litigation systems. That means that the health care is no longer affordable and accessible to many of our citizens. When doctors cannot pay the premiums and stop practicing medicine, everyone loses.”