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Santorum Comments on Lawsuits Against Not-For-Profit Hospitals
December 1, 2004
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, made the following statement regarding lawsuits against not-for-profit hospitals:
“Recently, 61 lawsuits in 23 states have been filed alleging that not-for-profit hospitals have breeched their government obligation to provide charitable medical care to uninsured patients. These lawsuits include respected Pennsylvania medical institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, West Penn Allegheny Hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Jefferson Health System, Albert Einstein Health Network, and Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania.
“This litigation is an assault by trial attorneys on America’s not-for-profit hospitals and is threatening patients’ access to quality health care. These lawsuits are less about care for the poor, the sick, and the uninsured than about lining the pockets of wealthy trial attorneys. The lawsuits are wrong, and do a disservice to the hardworking and caring healthcare workers that deliver medical services to the citizens of Pennsylvania.
“I am concerned about excessive lawsuits brought against our healthcare system. These lawsuits are another example of a troubling trend in which frivolous lawsuits are driving physicians out of practice and hospitals to limit or cut services eroding access to care for many Pennsylvanians.
“Similarly, the lawsuits against not-for-profit community hospitals will reduce the resources that these hospitals have to treat the uninsured of limited means and others in the community. Faced with conditions such as severe nursing shortages and crippling malpractice expenses, Pennsylvania’s not-for-profit hospitals struggle every day to carry out their charity care missions. The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, an independent state agency, reported that last year 70 percent of Pennsylvania hospitals lost money on patient care, and 48 percent lost money overall.
“The lawsuits will likely increase the cost of healthcare for our citizens at a time when policymakers and providers are working to lower these costs. That is the wrong prescription for Pennsylvanians.”
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