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America is home to the finest health care providers and technology in the world. But today, there are fewer doctors to use these technologies, and patients are having a harder time finding doctors to provide them with care. As families throughout my district know all too well, skyrocketing insurance premiums are debilitating Oklahoma's health care delivery system. The Department of Health and Human Services recently reported that the average award in medical malpractice cases has risen 76% in recent years. The median medical liability jury award nearly doubled from $157,000 in 1997 to $300,000 in 2003. According to the American Medical Association, 20 states are already experiencing a Medical Malpractice Crisis, and Oklahoma is showing many problem signs.
Physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers are severely limiting their practices or are simply unable to practice medicine because of astronomical medical malpractice insurance rates. Without federal legislation, the exodus of these providers from the practice of medicine will continue, and patients will find it increasingly difficult to obtain needed health care. That is why I am a proud supporter of H.R. 5, the HEALTH Act of 2005, which passed in the House recently. This common sense legislation safeguards patients’ access to care and will ensure that more doctors stay in business and are not driven from practicing medicine because of skyrocketing medical malpractice costs.
Rising medical malpractice premiums in high-risk specialties, such as OB-GYNS, drive good physicians out of business, and give doctors no choice but to close up shop or stop delivering babies. In Oklahoma, obstetricians, gynecologists, and surgeons routinely pay more than $100,000 per year for $1 million in coverage. Some even pay more than $200,000. A physician facing these premiums is likely to practice defensive medicine, ordering extra tests and using procedures to limit risk. This is not the type of medicine that Congress should promote nor encourage.
America’s doctors and physicians face the burden of sky-rocketing insurance premiums. These rising premiums have forced many qualified physicians to quit practicing medicine altogether. As a result, patients have fewer treatment options, more expensive care, and are denied access to health care services. In the end, the patients bear the brunt of the suffering from this medical malpractice crisis. That’s not cost effective or fair medicine.
The HEALTH ACT of 2005 is a much-needed bill to protect our nation's health. I urge the Senate to act swiftly to follow the lead of the House. |
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