Too often medical liability reform is perceived as just a contest of wills between physicians and trial lawyers, when really it is a matter of shaping public policy concerning health care delivery. Changes must be made now to ensure that the uninsured and insured receive the best possible care at the most reasonable cost. To avoid or deny change is putting health care at risk, along with every patient in North Carolina.

By adopting the provisions of S.B. 33 — Medical Liability Reforms — the General Assembly will help to control health care costs and provide access to health care for all North Carolinians, especially in medically underserved areas of the state where many of our most vulnerable citizens live. These reforms will parallel on-going efforts to increase patient safety and improve quality of care in hospitals, clinics and private practices.

A study by the Congressional Budget Office shows that medical liability reform will save taxpayers $54 billion over the next decade, with tort reform trimming an additional $3.5 billion in liability insurance premiums. The bipartisan budget-deficit commission chaired by North Carolina's Erskine Bowles found that reforms would save at least $17 billion. It recommended that Congress consider enacting a nationwide cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases, which are awarded for subjective, unquantifiable harms such as pain and suffering.

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