Mike Enzi: “our Nation's medical litigation system is broken and we need to start working to fix it. I urge my colleagues to vote…”

“our Nation's medical litigation system is broken and we need to start working to fix it. I urge my colleagues to vote for cloture on the Gregg-Ensign bill. It is time to stop filibustering and to start working. I just got back from Wyoming. They are having this same debate there. They don't trust us to finish it here. They are trying to finish it on a local basis. They are having a debate on a constitutional amendment to be able to do medical tort reform. I tell you, that is a very difficult thing. Litigation reform requires a constitutional amendment in Wyoming. That means there may be a vote of the people, but that can't happen until at least November and we are in a crisis in Wyoming right now. We are not the only State in a crisis. Last year, we brought a medical litigation reform bill to the Senate. The legislation would have placed reasonable limits on the amount of money attorneys can take from a verdict or a settlement in an injured patient's favor. The bill also would have limited awards for punitive damages and noneconomic damages. In other words, the pain and suffering awards. The bill would not have limited awards to compensate patients for economic losses. This is an important point for everyone to keep in mind.”