WRITE YOUR SENATOR NOW AND URGE SUPPORT OF THE HEALTH ACT

Three major medical groups, representing most of the emergency physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists in the country and hundreds of thousands of other physicians, called on Congress to pass tort reform in May 2003.

All three organizations urged the Senate to follow the lead of the House of Representatives, which last month passed the bipartisan tort reform bill, the HEALTH Act (H.R. 5). In response to public concerns, the House passed HR 5, the HEALTH Act this past March. This common-sense reform stipulates the following:

• Allows patients unlimited recovery of economic damages
• Establishes a sliding scale for attorneys' contingency fees
• Sets a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages
• Holds defendants liable only for their portion of responsibility within the claim

AMC/NOMA PHYSICIANS AND YOUR PATIENTS ARE URGED TO WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND ASK FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE HEALTH ACT. The "Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-Cost, Timely Healthcare Act of 2003" was introduced in the Senate in mid-March. Please let Senators Voinovich and DeWine know of your support. A flier regarding this issue has been prepared and is included in the March/April issue of the Cleveland Physician. Physicians are urged to copy the flier and provide it to their patients.