News tagged with 'Tort Reform'

The House just pass health care reform moments ago in a historic change to the way health care is delivered in this country.

Saturday night a historic vote on health care reform is nearing with a few changes - an abortion amendment was added in some last minute wrangling and the Boehner substitute amendment was defeated.

A House vote is expected tonight on HR 3962.

Medical errors are costing Americans at least $17 billion a year, but is not the focus of health care reform. In fact, the Republican version makes it much tougher for those already injured to seek help.

This afternoon there was some agreement when lawmakers voted 242-to-192 to approve a must-pass procedural measure to set up terms for debate of the $1.2 trillion health care reform bill. President Obama visited with lawmakers to urge passage.

In the discussion of health care reform in the House today what's missing is a reminder that the current system is unsustainable. As Americans lose their insurance through job loss and because of the cost of private insurance, they raise their risk of death by 40 percent.

"Heed the Gavel", yells Rep. John Dingell as Republicans interrupt Democrats who are voicing their approval of the health care reform bill, HR 3962.

The House has some basic issues to address in the debate over H.R. 3962 which will reform health care in the U.S. in this rare Saturday session.

Additional taxes will come from health care reform on small business say dissenters on the House floor this morning - ironic since the GOP generally supports big business they are reminded by a House Democrat. Meanwhile, more lobbys representing doctors and seniors are lending support.

House discussion is taking place this morning on health care reform H.R. 3962 which likely goes to a vote in the House Saturday. Nancy Pelosi is gathering votes amid Democratic defectors and Republicans, who do not support it.

A visible and vocal GOP rally against the Democrats version of health care reform heated up when a banner of Holocaust victims was paraded among those in attendance. Meanwhile the AMA and AARP have both announced support of the Democratic plan.

Democrats plan to take health care reform to a possible vote in the House on Saturday with a plan that should offer health care insurance coverage to 36 million more Americans. The GOP effort is already underway to derail the plan with its own plan which covers 3 million more Americans.

Medical health insurance premiums are supposed to go primarily to pay medical claims, but a Senate Committee inquiry finds that a larger chunk, than previously suspected, of what you pay for medical insurance, returns to the insurer as profit.

Are there too many frivolous lawsuits? It's tough to find any backing to that claim that will be heard when health care debate begins later this week. But there is plenty of evidence that 100,000 to 200,000 Americans are dying every year from medical error - and most don't file lawsuits.

The 'Loser pays" proposal is just the latest in a long line of tort reform proposals, part of health care reform, that further erode an injured persons ability to seek a remedy in the court after medical malpractice.