Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I would say to my colleagues that this is about bad medicine, not good…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I would say to my colleagues that this is about bad medicine, not good medicine, and it is about undermining good healthcare, as we have seen in the TrumpCare saga, causing some 49 million people to lose their insurance. Here we go again. I would offer to say that the most difficult, hurtful, and harmful aspect of this particular legislation is that it would make it more difficult for plaintiffs to seek redress for medical injuries that have been proven in court. In addition, it proposes to make dangerous and potentially unconstitutional changes to our Nation's Federal system, intruding on State sovereignty, the very thing that Republicans seem to relish and to support, because this bill attempts to preempt the several areas of tort law that have been traditionally reserved to the States. I would tell my good friends in Tennessee and West Virginia: Deal with your States, just as other individuals deal with their own States. This bill, as well, has a very difficult impact on medical malpractice. Because it was written so vaguely, the broad language sweeps into not only doctors and other medical professionals, but hospitals and clinics and almost every entity that contributes in any way to making any healthcare product or service available. That clearly impacts the healthcare of Americans. When your child is injured through no fault of their own or your own, you need relief for that child.…”