Wednesday, March 19, 2003

Bill protects doctors from malpractice lawyers and runaway judgments

By MAC COLLINS
Congressman

Medical Liability Reform

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2003 (H.R. 5), of which I was an original cosponsor, in a 229 to 196 vote.

Over the years, I have heard from many doctors, hospitals and other health care providers about the need for medical liability reform. Medical liability insurance comprises one of the largest annual expenses for providers. Ultimately, the increasing cost of insurance, sometimes over $100,000 per year per doctor and much more for hospitals, is limiting patient access to healthcare. It is for this reason that I was pleased to sign on as an original cosponsor of the HEALTH Act when it was introduced last month.

H.R. 5 would bring much needed reform to the medical liability claims process. Specifically, the legislation would ensure that a doctor, or any health care provider, could only be held liable for damages in proportion to their responsibility for the harm caused to a patient. Current law permits trial attorneys to seek all damages from one medical professional even if that professional was only minimally responsible.

In addition, the bill would provide a reasonable limit of $250,000 for punitive damages. The bill would not limit compensation for future medical expenses, lost earnings or physical injuries resulting from a provider's negligence, unless otherwise restricted by state law. By providing reasonable limits to medical liability suits, this legislation would ensure that injured patients receive the damages to which they are entitled without excessively driving up the health care costs of others.

The House has responded to President George W. Bush's charge to the Congress to pass comprehensive medical liability insurance reform. H.R. 5 has now been referred to the Senate for consideration.

Economic Recovery Plan

On Wednesday, the Committee on Ways and Means heard testimony from the Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, regarding the President's Budget for the Department of Labor for Fiscal Year 2004.

In her role, Secretary Chao is charged with overseeing the needs of the American worker. During my questioning of the Secretary, I expressed my strong support for the President's plan for economic growth, and I also encouraged her in her effort to promote this important plan that will provide the capital investment necessary to provide more Americans with jobs.

Georgia VFW

On Tuesday, I met with Georgia Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) members to discuss the VFW legislative issues for the 108th Congress. There are over 1.9 million members of the VFW who belong to 9,500 posts worldwide. In the state of Georgia there are 22,890 members who belong to 140 posts. Membership includes veterans from four wars and active duty service members who have been involved in expeditionary campaigns. I am extremely proud to meet with veterans who have sacrificed so much to provide the freedoms we enjoy today. They continue to serve their country by meeting with members of Congress and helping to shape legislation which affects our veteran population.

Corps of Engineers

On Wednesday, I met with Col. Robert Keyser, the commander of the Mobile District of the Army Corps of Engineers. The Mobile District covers the western part of Georgia, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and eastern Mississippi. Col. Keyser provided me with an important update of Army Corps water related maintenance and construction projects as well as the current levels of lakes and waterways in the region.

This information is important in light of recent drought conditions in Georgia and the impact these levels have on commerce and recreation in the region. The Army Corps plays a critical role in maintaining and constructing military and civil work projects, including barracks and homes, schools, hospitals, day care centers, airfields, training ranges, reservoirs, and dams.

Army Maneuver Center Concept

On Tuesday, I lead the effort of the Georgia/Alabama Congressional delegation to express our views to Secretary of the Army Thomas White, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the new Training and Doctrine Commander, General Kevin Byrnes. The letter we sent regarded the Army Maneuver Center Combat Training Operations Concept.

The Army is planning on developing a combat arms maneuver center. This center will be the hub of combat arms training, training development, and combat development.

The letter commended Fort Benning's capacity in both land and facilities, and as a major power projection platform with Lawson Army Airfield, in addition to a history of success in training combat soldiers that is unmatched in the world, as a an ideal location for this new command.

Fort Benning has a proud tradition of training the world's finest soldiers, and the members of Congress from this area would like to see to it that this reputation continues for years to come so that Fort Benning not only remains the "Home of the Infantry," but continues as the integral hub to any changes in training under review by the Army. The Georgia and Alabama Congressional members are certain Fort Benning is the most cost effective choice for locating any improvements in the Army training regime.