CARH Praises Pres. Bush’s Speech Requesting Hill Action on Medical Crisis

The Coalition for Affordable and Reliable Health Care (CARH) praised President Bush’s call Tuesday evening in his State of the Union address for action by the 108th Congress to resolve the crisis in patient access to health care by promoting a reasonable legal approach to skyrocketing health care liability costs, based on proven solutions.

“Clearly the President understands the pain and fear being inflicted on patients, many of them elderly and uninsured, by a system that allows trial lawyers to seek outrageous jury verdicts, drive health care liability costs out of sight and force doctors and health care facilities to close their doors or move out of state,” CARH chairman John Thomas commented.

“President Bush has picked the perfect moment to push for a solution, with both houses of Congress and the Executive Branch positioned to accomplish what millions of patients and health care providers badly need – a return to sanity by reining in the trial lawyers.”

Thomas also praised Bush for singling out Kurt Kooyer, a pediatrician who relocated from Mississippi to West Fargo, N.D. because of rising liability costs, and Denise Baker, a Bradenton, Florida ob/gyn who stopped delivering babies last fall because her liability insurance exceeded her salary.

“Mississippi and Florida citizens have been among the worst affected by a crisis in liability costs that has reached epidemic proportions,” Thomas continued. “Access to care is reduced, and often times eliminated, every time another physician or facility closes their doors, or relocates to one of the few states that has addressed this crisis with proven solutions.”