South Carolina Senate Fact #10: Tenenbaum Opposes Malpractice Reform

America is facing a medical liability crisis. Because the U.S. Senate failed to pass meaningful medical malpractice reform this year, abusive lawsuits continue to punish good physicians across the nation. Unfortunately, U.S. Senate candidate Inez Tenenbaum would not solve this problem if elected: she opposes a national cap on non-economic damages in malpractice cases. (“National ad campaign for tort reform looks to influence S.C. Senate race”, The State Newspaper, Mon. July 12, 2004)

Unfortunately, this reform is badly needed. Frivolous lawsuits drive up malpractice insurance premiums, which are ultimately passed on to patients in the form of higher prices, or in some cases put doctors out of business altogether. The stalled Senate bill would help keep medicine affordable.

Representative Jim DeMint signed the FreedomWorks Candidate Survey and committed to ending the fleecing of doctors and patients by trial lawyers. Last year, he also voted for the bipartisan medical malpractice reform bill in the House of Representatives.

Inez Tenenbaum, however, refuses to sign the Candidate Survey and tell South Carolinians how she will curb lawsuit abuse.

In South Carolina, Jim DeMint stands with patients and physicians– while Inez Tenenbaum continues to pander to the trial lawyers.