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Medical liability reform bill fails to reach U.S. Senate vote

Ambulatory Surgery Reimbursement Update, May 16, 2006

A filibuster kept a controversial medical liability reform bill, the Medical Care Access Protection Act of 2006, from reaching the U.S. Senate floor last week, according to a press release from the American Medical Association (AMA).

The bill required 60 votes from Senators to reach the floor, but only 48 gave their support.

The AMA criticized the 42 Senators who "voted to prolong the nation's medical liability crisis by failing to allow effective medical liability reform legislation to move forward," said Cecil Wilson, MD, AMA board member, according to the press release.

The AMA had described the bill, S. 22, as one that is "based on a successful law in Texas that has reduced medical liability premiums by 22% and has allowed doctors to provide quality medical care. This legislation includes reforms that allocate damages fairly and provides reasonable limits on non-economic damages to patients," as reported in the last issue of Ambulatory Surgery Regulatory Update.

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