WILLIAMS DISAPPOINTED IN MEDICAL MALPRACTICE REFORM LEGISLATION

HARRISBURG, February 12, 2002 – State Sen. Constance H. Williams said the medical malpractice insurance reform legislation which passed the Senate today sends the wrong message to Pennsylvania’s doctors.

"The message tonight is that we don’t care that the doctors leave Pennsylvania," Williams (D-Montgomery/Delaware) said. "The message is that we don’t care about our world-class medical centers in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh."

Williams was one of six senators to vote against Senate Bill 1802, which she noted does reduce the malpractice insurance premiums doctors are required to pay.

"The problem is what the bill does not do," Williams said. "It does not address frivolous lawsuits. It does not guarantee that expert witnesses in malpractice cases are properly qualified, it does not address the issue of non-economic damages, and it tosses the question of venue to the courts."

Williams said she fears the General Assembly’s failure to address these issues will drive even more doctors from the state, and keep doctors from other states away.

"Who will be left to train tomorrow’s doctors?" she asked. "Who will be left to deliver our babies? Who will be left to staff the trauma centers? I will be happy to be proven wrong, but I feel this is not a first step, it’s a wrong step."