Joe Pitts, July 30, 2005

As families throughout my district know all too well, skyrocketing insurance premiums are debilitating Pennsylvania ’s health care delivery system. 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. 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.

For women throughout Pennsylvania , this problem goes to the heart of their medical needs. As we have all seen on TV and read in the papers, many OB/GYN physicians have stopped delivering babies. The Pennsylvania Medical Society says that Pennsylvania lost forty obstetricians between 2000 and 2002.

A study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and printed this month in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that residents in high risk specialties are most affected by liability insurance rates.

One in three doctors polled said "they would leave the state after completing their residency because of the lack of affordable malpractice insurance."

One wrote, "Why in the world would anybody want to practice in this state?" Another said, "I like Pennsylvania , but it's not worth it." Another added, "It's not just about treating patients anymore, it's about making sure that you don't get sued."

The problem has also spread to emergency rooms, where the crisis takes on life-or-death proportions. The health, well being, and peace of mind of my female constituents is put at risk when doctors and physicians stop delivering children and providing high-risk women access to needed care.

While House Republicans were able to pass reform legislation last Congress, Senate inaction and trial lawyer obstruction led to its ultimate defeat. The HEALTH Act of 2005 directly helps thousands of women around the nation who suffer without adequate obstetric and gynecologic healthcare.

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. These OB-GYNS who bring life into this world are too often forced to reject high-risk patients for fear of future litigation.

In Pennsylvania , 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.

As trial lawyers continue to harass America ’s doctors, physicians face the burden of sky-rocketing insurance premiums. For OB-GYNs, 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 U.S. House needs to take action and thwart the lobbying efforts of the trial lawyers and ambulance chasers. That is why I voted for H.R. 5, the HEALTH ACT of 2005.

This legislation is a much-needed bill to protect women’s health, and helps communities throughout America continue to receive quality health care. I urge the Senate to act swiftly to follow the lead of the House.

Congressman Joe Pitts, a Republican, represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, which includes Lancaster County and parts of Chester County and Berks County.