| January 6, 2003
Action Alert
Tort Reform: Let Your
Voices Be Heard!
The Tort Reform H.B. #4600,
under the misleading title, "H.E.A.L.T.H. Act", passed the House 9/26/02.
(Senate reconvenes on Tuesday, January 7 and I'm sure this issue will be
a priority item.)
H.R. 4600
09/26/2002
House Roll Call No. 421
107th Congress, 2nd Session
The House bill that was passed
last year would cap damages and limit attorney fees in medical malpractice
lawsuits. The measure would limit "pain and suffering" damages to $250,000
and punitive damages to $250,000 or twice the amount of economic damages.
The measure would also limit attorney fees and protect manufacturers from
punitive damages if the product in question is FDA approved.
The House has passed six
medical malpractice bills since 1995. If the Senate does not pass this
bill, the House will no doubt try again.
Each time that happens, as
it is once again happening this year, we must do all we can to persuade
the Senate not to pass a medical malpractice bill.
| Yea
Votes: |
217 |
| Nay
Votes: |
203 |
| Non-Voting: |
13 |
In spite of the data available
showing the real causes and the effects of these lawsuits, as well as the
motivation for insurance companies to jack up premiums regardless of various
state caps, this movement has momentum and the backing of President Bush.
On Tuesday, January 7, 2003,
I would urge ALL of you, simply as individual voting citizens of the United
States, to make brief phone calls to the White House AND your U.S. Senators'
offices. If you click on the pictures of your Senators from the website
below, their phone and fax numbers will appear, as well as a link to sending
them e-mail.
Call either 202-224-3121
(Whitehouse switchboard) or 202-456-1414 (President Bush). Don't
give up if the lines are busy (it costs nothing to get a busy signal).
Let's keep the phone lines lit up for days if necessary.
Have everyone in your household
who is of voting age, neighbors, relatives, etc., make these phone calls,
from anywhere in the country. This DE-form affects much more than
nursing homes.
Phone calls are a priority,
as e-mails may not be read for some time after you send them. Better
yet, do both.
Please follow the instructions
below to send your opinions to both the President and your U.S. Senators.
You can prepare a generic
message to copy and paste onto the message area of each recipient's page:
| STEP
1: |
Go
to: http://mygov.governmentguide.com/
mygov/index.html |
| |
|
| STEP
2: |
Enter
your own zip code. |
| |
|
| STEP
3: |
Click
on each of your respective U.S. Senators and President Bush. |
| |
|
| STEP 4: |
Suggested subject line:
"NO Tort DE-Form". |
|
|
| STEP
5: |
Compose your message.
Keep it short and focused, put your yea or nay in first sentence.
You can choose to have a copy sent to you. |
|
