- The Hon. Bernie Sanders, Chair
Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
United States Senate
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 - The Hon. Bill Cassidy, M.D., Ranking Member
Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
United States Senate
725 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 - The Hon. Bob Casey, Jr.
Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
United States Senate
393 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510 - The Hon. Mitt Romney
Cmte. on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
United States Senate
354 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Subject: Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act Discussion Draft
Dear Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Cassidy, Senator Casey and Senator Romney:
On behalf of a diverse coalition of medical professionals and associations working to improve timely access to care and reduce medical lawsuit abuse, the Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA) would like to thank you for giving us an opportunity to provide input on the recently released Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act discussion draft.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw health professionals across the nation step up and put themselves at risk in many ways to attend to the needs of the afflicted. Recognizing the importance of ensuring that sufficient health professionals were available during the pandemic, Congress wisely saw fit to establish protections from unwarranted medical liability lawsuits for those who not only put themselves at risk of personal harm, but did so without compensation. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136) included a provision (Sec. 3215) granting volunteer health professionals treating patients with, or suspected of having, COVID-19, protection from liability lawsuits. We now ask that you apply those same protections to future public health emergencies and federally declared disasters so as to ensure that an adequate health care workforce is available in our
next time of need.
Click here to read the full Neurosurgery-Led Coalition Urges Senate to Include Good Sam Liability Protections in PAPHA.
