- The Honorable Patty Murray, Chair
Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee
United States Senate
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 - The Honorable Richard Burr, Ranking Member
Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee
United States Senate
217 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Subject: “PREVENT Pandemics Act”
Dear Chairman Murray and Ranking Member Burr:
On behalf of the Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA), a diverse coalition of medical professionals, associations and other stakeholders working to reduce medical lawsuit abuse and improve timely access to quality care, we would like to thank you for giving us an opportunity to comment on the discussion draft of the PREVENT Pandemics Act.
As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, our frontline medical professionals and the facilities that employ them continue to be exposed to a potential flood of medical liability lawsuits arising from a variety of issues beyond their control, including workforce shortages, shortages of personal protective equipment, and delays in nonessential care resulting from public health guidance and government mandates issued during the pandemic. These circumstances, which have occurred across the nation, highlight the need for Congress to provide a uniform set of liability protections for medical professionals who responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. While we appreciate your inclusion of proposed language to permanently extend liability coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act to medical volunteers at community health centers, we believe that additional language is needed to address inconsistencies in current federal and state laws that could result in unjust medical liability lawsuits against those who have sacrificed the most to protect us during this pandemic.
Click here to read the full Neurosurgery-Led Coalition Seeks COVID-19 Medical Liability Protections.
