Letter on S. 2662, the "Fair Resolution of Medical Liability Disputes Act of 2009"
November 3, 2009
The Honorable Lindsey Graham
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Saxby Chambliss
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Graham and Chambliss:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, thanks you for introducing S. 2662, the "Fair Resolution of Medical Liability Disputes Act of 2009."
This legislation represents a positive and significant step toward providing a more reliable justice system for the victims of medical malpractice. Your bill encourages the states to establish alternative methods for resolving medical liability claims and provides them with the latitude to develop unique approaches that fit the needs of their diverse populations. The Chamber commends you for making this important and thoughtful effort to bring needed reforms to America's medical liability systems.
The issue of medical liability reform is central to any serious effort to overhaul America's healthcare system. The Congressional Budget Office recently determined that medical liability reform would reduce total national healthcare spending by $11 billion in 2009 and reduce the federal budget deficit by $54 billion over 10 years. The Chamber believes these estimates of healthcare savings may be too conservative. Yet nonetheless, the $54 billion in deficit reduction is significant, representing over 10 percent of the net cost of the insurance coverage provisions agreed to in the Finance Committee's "America's Healthy Future Act of 2009." We are confident that you will be a forceful and effective advocate for medical liability improvements that will expand access to justice for injured patients and lower the cost of healthcare.
There is bipartisan agreement that for healthcare reform to be successful, it must 'bend the growth curve,' making healthcare delivery more efficient and slowing healthcare inflation. Medical liability reform should play a critical role in any such effort. The Chamber appreciates your work on this legislation and looks forward to working with you and the Senate in the coming weeks and months to refine your legislation and advance commonsense changes to our system of resolving medical liability claims.
Sincerely,
R. Bruce Josten