GOP 'aggressively pursuing tort reform' to hold down health care costs

The Republican Party is committed to “aggressively pursuing tort reform” as a means to hold down health care costs, according to the platform adopted at the party’s convention in Tampa this week.

“Frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits have ballooned the cost of health care for the average American,” according to the platform. The platform holds that physicians are “increasingly practicing defensive medicine because of the looming threat of malpractice liability.”

The document says that the high cost of medical malpractice lawsuits has led some medical practitioners to avoid treating patients with complex and high-risk problems.

“We are committed to aggressively pursuing tort reform legislation to help avoid the practice of defensive medicine, to keep health care costs low, and improve health care quality.