Republicans in the House and Senate have been telling their Democratic counterparts that they would be open to supporting a health care reform bill if it includes, among other things, medical malpractice reform. It now appears that option could be on the table.
While no one knows what Obama will talk about in his speech before Congress tonight, the lead negotiator on a Senate bipartisan health care reform plan signaled that President Obama could be open to provisions aimed at reducing the number of junk lawsuits that have played a big role in driving up the cost of health care.
Here’s what White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had to say today on CNN:
John Roberts – Is the president prepared to talk about malpractice reform tonight?
GIBBS: He is. He’ll talk about it tonight.
John, I think this is a good example. The president is going to talk about the downside of what many doctors have told him is the practicing of defensive medicine, where doctors because they are worried about this order more and more tests in order to make sure that they don’t get sued.
That costs our system billions and billions of dollars every year.
ROBERTS: Sure.
GIBBS: But John, this is a big test, because the president is going to outline things that Republicans want to hear.
I asked Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., whether his bill will include such a provision and his answer was cryptic.
“Wait and see what the president says tonight,” Baucus said. “That might be a clue.”
There is already a move afoot in the Senate to bring such a provision to the floor for a vote, regardless of what Obama says about it.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat who is now an Independent, said he is working on an amendment with Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that would rein in frivolous lawsuits and he is hoping Obama will talk about the subject in his speech.
“He can put medical malpractice back on the table,” Lieberman said.
Obama has so far made no commitment to medical malpractice reform, which advocates say would lower the cost of health care by eliminating the kinds of lawsuits that compel doctors to order unnecessary tests and procedures and lead to staggering malpractice insurance costs.
With it looking much more likely that Obama will accept a health care plan that does not create a government-run health insurance option, including medical malpractice reform could bring about “a significant bipartisan health care reform bill,” Lieberman said.
