As the chair of the Health Coalition on Liability and Access (HCLA), I’m writing to ask [Member of Congress] to cosponsor H.R. 2819, the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act. This bipartisan legislation is critically needed to ensure that health care services are readily available during future health emergencies and disasters.
When disaster strikes, medical professionals stand ready to help, often while facing circumstances where information, supplies and communications are sorely lacking. Despite these difficulties, they are not only willing to help but to volunteer to face numerous risks in serving those who are most impacted by tragic circumstances. Inconsistencies in current federal and state laws, however, could subject
medical volunteers who serve during disasters and large-scale emergencies to the risk of unjust medical liability lawsuits.
Fortunately, Congressmen Larry Bucshon, MD and Raul Ruiz, MD have introduced the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act (H.R. 2819) to correct this problem. The bill provides medical volunteers with limited and targeted protections from liability during a federally-declared disaster, national emergency or public health emergency, and ensures that vital health care services often provided by medical volunteers remain available – all while respecting existing medical liability laws in individual states. In addition, to ensure that patients are protected, the bill only applies to licensed health care providers and does not apply to a health care provider if the harm caused was criminal or deliberate in nature.
Click here to view the full Neurosurgery Supports the Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act H.R. 2819
