Max Baucus: “I rise today to join Senator ENZI in introducing the Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act of 2005. We have debated the…”

“I rise today to join Senator ENZI in introducing the Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act of 2005. We have debated the medical liability issue in this chamber for years now. But the Senate has failed to take action to make the situation better. We need to deal with the issue of rising liability costs, and I think this bill is a good place to start. One of my top priorities in the Senate is ensuring appropriate access to affordable, quality health care. In a rural State such as Montana, where health care providers are often few and far between, that is a tall order. It is a job that is made all the harder by rising medical liability insurance premiums. To ensure proper access to care, we need to make certain that our health care providers can afford their medical liability insurance. We also need to make sure that patients who are harmed by medical mistakes have access to timely, reasonable compensation for their injuries. The Fair and Reliable Medical Justice Act promotes the testing of alternatives to current medical tort liability litigation. It aims to increase the number of injured patients who receive compensation for their injuries, and make such compensation more accurate and more timely, all at lower administrative costs than current systems. The bill also encourages patient safety by promoting disclosure of medical errors, unlike the current system which does not encourage disclosure.…”