Political Quotes

“I do want to congratulate Senator Gregg, chairman of the HELP Committee, and ranking member, Senator Kennedy. This is a piece of legislation that people can trace. Several years ago, the Institute of Medicine did an outstanding report. We rely on the Institute of Medicine again and again to objectively, in a nonpartisan way, look at a whole range of issues, from the financing of health care, health care delivery, preventive health care, acute treatment, chronic treatment. They really respond very much to outside bodies like the Senate and do studies. One great study they did--people have argued their numbers aren't exactly right, too high, too low--but it was that about 100,000 people die every year from systems' lapses, medical errors. Those are, for the most part, preventable deaths, if you improve the systems. This bill goes right at the heart of improving the systems and does so in a way that relies on individuals who may observe something that didn't work out, sharing that data with their peers in a way that they do not have to fear lawsuits.”