John Ensign: “I will read some of the totals. California has comprehensive medical liability reform in place that this bill I have…”

“I will read some of the totals. California has comprehensive medical liability reform in place that this bill I have presented today is modeled after. These are the following awards, and these are almost all economic damages or medical damages that were awarded to these infants: $43,500,000 in May 2002; July 1999, $30,800,000; April 1999 in Orange County, almost $7 million; January 1999 in Los Angeles County, almost $22 million; December 2002, $84 million. So for pictures to be put up and to say, what is this child going to get, this child can get a lot. Most of these awards are in economic damages or in medical expenses. Those damages are not capped in this bill. The next picture we have to put up is a woman with her child. Because there was no OB/GYN available, she had to deliver this child on the side of a road by herself. Unfortunately, the patient did have complications, and the mother had to provide CPR to the baby on the side of the road in the middle of the Arizona desert. Thankfully, the baby survived. But she could have had serious consequences, and then they would not have been able to get compensation from anybody.”