In a letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) this week, Douglas Elmendorf, of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), explained that enacting meaningful tort reform could save taxpayers and consumers nearly $54 billion. This new dollar amount is ten times the savings previously thought to exist. You can read the rest of Lori Montgomery's piece in the Washington Post, HERE.

Who knew? Well, we did. AFP-Maryland has been advocating for meaningful tort reform since the beginning of the health care debate. I am thrilled to see that the mainstream media and policy makers in Washington are finally getting on the ball with this issue. Real tort reform would not only end frivolous law suits, it would also stop physicians from practicing defensive medicine. That alone could save us untold amounts of money, which leads me to believe that the $54 billion number may be shortchanging tort reform advocates.

Now we must demand that our congressional delegation takes this news to heart. With the Senate Finance Committee scheduled to vote on their version of the bill Tuesday, AFP-Maryland must continue to keep the pressure on our elected officials. To contact your representative, CLICK HERE.