Vote “YES!” on 12
July 3, 2003
All across Texas, the
health care liability insurance crisis is threatening
patient’s access to their doctors and hospitals. Your access
to medical care is now at risk. Skyrocketing medical liability
insurance premiums are forcing many physicians to leave Texas,
quit medicine early, or cut back on their medical practices.
As a result, 152 counties in Texas now have no obstetrician.
Wide swaths of Texas have no neurosurgeon or orthopedic
surgeon. In just two years, the number of medical liability
insurance companies in Texas has dropped from 17 to only 3
today. Without insurance, doctors cannot maintain a hospital
practice.
The primary
culprit for this crisis is an explosion in awards for
noneconomic (pain and suffering) damages in liability
lawsuits. In response to this crisis, the Texas Legislature
has just passed landmark reforms that provide fair and
reasonable caps on noneconomic damages but also ensure
unlimited compensation for any and all medical
expenses and lost wages.
I strongly
believe injured patients should be justly and fairly
compensated. These legislative reforms fully achieve this
goal. Importantly, the reforms will keep doctors in Texas
and secure access to medical care when you need it most.
I am now asking
for your help. On Saturday, September 13, 2003,
you will have the opportunity to approve an amendment to the
Texas Constitution securing these reforms. This amendment will
ensure that doctors and hospitals can continue to do what we
do best – take care of our patients. I ask you to please
vote “YES!” on Proposition 12. Encourage your
family, friends, and co-workers to vote “YES!” on 12.
Please help preserve access to health care for you, for your
loved ones, for all Texans.
VOTE “YES!” ON 12
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13,
2003
