For Release: June 28, 2017
Contact: Joanne Doroshow, [email protected]
STATEMENT BY JOANNE DOROSHOW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY
CONDEMNING U.S. HOUSE PASSAGE OF BILL THAT WILL DESTROY PATIENTS’ RIGHTS
We strongly condemn today's House passage of H.R. 1215, a harsh and mean-spirited bill that will harm the most vulnerable and severely injured Americans. This includes brain-damaged children, quadriplegic workers, and seniors in nursing homes.
This was an extremely close vote - 210 to 218. The bill had no Democratic support but had Republican opposition.
H.R. 1215 would remove state legal protections that have saved patients’ lives for centuries. It would broadly restrict the constitutional rights of all Americans to go to court while weakening the system’s ability to prevent medical errors and hold reckless hospitals, drug companies and nursing homes accountable. Actual experience with states that have enacted some of these measures shows that they will result in more patient harm while increasing health care costs. Voters did not send politicians to Washington DC to strip away the constitutional rights of everyday Americans, as H.R. 1215 would do.
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