Michael Burgess: “$230 billion. That is the cost last year of the medical justice system in this country. Of that figure, 20 percent went…”

“$230 billion. That is the cost last year of the medical justice system in this country. Of that figure, 20 percent went to compensate patients for actual pain and damages, 20 percent went to lawyers' fees, 20 percent went to insurance overhead, and 25 percent was paid out in noneconomic damages for things like pain and suffering. Mr. Speaker, we can scarcely afford this continued type of expenditure in this country; and, indeed, this House has passed, twice in the past 2 years, legislation seeking to reform this system. Unfortunately, that legislation has languished on the other side of the Capitol. Mr. Speaker, it is more than just the monetary damages, though. It is the cost in terms of the human capital that we are losing today from doctors who are leaving practice early, hospitals that are having to close their doors. But even more important than that, Mr. Speaker, is the cost of human capital that will never be developed. I am talking about students in medical school, undergraduate school, and high school who will look at their medical career ahead of them and decide it is just not worth the effort. Mr. Speaker, we must act in this Congress.”