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THE BRIEFING ROOM
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
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For Immediate Release September 17, 2009
September 17, 2009
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
SUBJECT: Demonstration Grants for the Development,
Implementation, and Evaluation of Alternatives
to the Current Medical Liability System
As part of my Administration’s ongoing effort to reform our health care system, we have reached out to members of both political parties and listened to the concerns many have raised
about the need to improve patient safety and to reform our medical liability system. Between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die each year from medical errors. Many physicians continue to
struggle to pay their medical malpractice premiums, which vary tremendously by specialty and by State. The cost of insurance continues to be one of the highest practice expenses for some
specialties. And although malpractice premiums do not account for a large percentage of total medical costs, many physicians report that fear of lawsuits leads them to practice defensive
medicine, which may contribute to higher costs.
We should explore medical liability reform as one way to improve the quality of care and patient-safety practices and to reduce defensive medicine. But whatever steps we pursue, medical
liability reform must be just one part of broader health insurance reform — reform that offers more security and stability to Americans who have insurance, offers insurance to Americans who lack coverage, and slows the growth of health care costs for families, businesses, and government.
In recent years, there have been calls from organizations like The Joint Commission and the Institute of Medicine to begin funding demonstration projects that can test a variety of medical liability models and determine which reforms work. These groups and others have identified several important goals and core commitments of malpractice reform that should serve as a starting point for such projects. We must put patient safety first and work to reduce preventable injuries. We must foster better communication between doctors and their patients. We must ensure that patients are compensated in a fair and timely manner for medical injuries, while also reducing the incidence
of frivolous lawsuits. And we must work to reduce liability premiums.
In 1999, the Congress authorized the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is located within the Department of Health and Human Services, to support demonstration projects
and to evaluate the effectiveness of projects regarding all aspects of health care, including medical liability. I hereby request that you announce, within 30 days of this memorandum,
that the Department will make available demonstration grants to States, localities, and health systems for the development, implementation, and evaluation of alternatives to our current
medical liability system, consistent with the goals and core commitments outlined above.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its
departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees,
or agents, or any other person.
You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
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http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/09/20090916b.html
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The New Numbers – Health Insurance Reform Cannot Wait
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new state by state analysis of last week’s U.S. Census numbers regarding the uninsured. The results are sobering and confirm that health insurance reform cannot wait another year.
“These numbers only serve to further confirm a reality that far too many American families live with every day,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Our health care system has reached a breaking point. The status quo is unsustainable, and continuing to delay reform is not an option.”
The facts below underscore the urgency of health insurance reform.
Nationwide, the number of uninsured has increased from 39.8 million in 2001 to 46.3 million in 2008.
With the exception of Massachusetts – which enacted its own version of health insurance reform in 2006 – every state in the nation has seen its uninsured population grow or remain unacceptably high from 2001 to 2008. These numbers don’t even include those who have lost their insurance in the recent recession or have had coverage gaps of shorter than a year.
In nearly every state, private coverage is eroding with the percentage of people covered by employer-based coverage decreasing.
The new numbers also drive home the frightening reality that losing health insurance could happen to any of us.
Across the nation, more and more working Americans are uninsured, left without protection from health care costs.
Even among high-income households, the ranks of the uninsured are rapidly growing.
“In states across the country, we’ve seen the health care coverage situation go from bad to worse,” Secretary Sebelius added. “And it’s clear that losing insurance isn’t a problem that plagues only the poor or the unemployed – it could happen to anyone.”
To learn more and view state by state data, visit http://www.healthreform.gov/healthcarestatus.html.
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