Political Quotes

“I support medical malpractice reform but I oppose this bill. H.R. 4600 lays the blame for rising medical malpractice premiums solely on individuals whom a court and jury determine have been injured by medical malpractice. Apparently Congress knows better than judges, juries and patients; but we do not know better than insurers. This bill does not have a single provision acknowledging the insurance industry's accountability for skyrocketing premiums. Insurers have tripled their investment in the stock market over the past 10 years. Of course, now they are trying to recoup their losses. Democrats have tried to negotiate with the majority to even look at this issue. But the majority rejected every attempt to force the insurance industry to assume any responsibility for its dramatic premium increases. There are avenues we could take to stabilize medical malpractice premiums, loss ratio requirements, reinsurance pools, transparency to help us see exactly why insurers are raising their rates. But no, in this billing the insurance industry is held harmless. It is the patients' fault. California has the most stringent liability caps in the country. Premiums are higher in California than the average for the rest of the country. Premiums have grown faster in California than the average for the rest of the country. Still somehow the solution to the medical malpractice crisis is to cap jury awards.”