America’s patients and physicians one step closer to relief from the current broken medical liability system

On May 12, the U.S. House again passed the AMA-supported Health Act (H.R. 4280) by a vote of 229-197, bringing America’s patients and physicians one step closer to relief from the current broken medical liability system.

Now, according to AMA President Donald J. Palmisano, MD, pressure on the Senate to pass a similar bill is even greater. "[W]e urge the Senate to hear the voice of the people and pass reforms to help increase access to medical care," said Dr. Palmisano. "Reforms, including a quarter-million-dollar cap on non-economic damages, have been working in California for nearly 30 years. The Senate must act to give the rest of our nation that same relief."

Getting medical liability reform passed by Congress is the AMA's No. 1 priority. "We will be relentless in our quest for federal legislation to provide relief to the nation's physicians," Dr. Palmisano said, "so physicians can continue to provide care to our nation's patients."

The same day, the House also passed H.R. 4279 by a vote of 273-152, a Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA)/ Health Savings Account (HSA) bill that will allow patients to receive tax-free rollovers of up to $500 of unspent FSA funds to go into either an FSA or into an HSA. This would promote more prudent health care spending by curtailing the "use it or lose it" mentality promoted by current law.

As AMA EVP/CEO Michael D. Maves, MD, stated in a recent letter to Speaker of the House Rep. J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), "A main element of the AMA's proposal for expanding health insurance coverage is creating opportunities for individuals and families to access alternative markets for the purchase of individually owned health insurance. [This] legislation is an important step in providing such consumer-driven health care options for our nation." http://www.ama-assn.org