A 48-42 majority was short of the 60-vote supermajority Senate rules require. Three Republicans—Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Richard Shelby of Alabama, and Mike Crapo of Idaho—crossed party lines; Democrats held firm, 39-0. The compromise measure, S. 23, which applied to birth procedures, failed with a similar lineup. In statements, Senators Reid and Kennedy improbably claimed reform wouldn't lower insurance rates, with Reid reserving special scorn for doctors for "too much malpractice."
Med-mal cloture motion fails
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| Isaac Gorodetski Project Manager, Center for Legal Policy at the Manhattan Institute igorodetski@manhattan-institute.org |
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| Laura Eyi Press Officer, Manhattan Institute leyi@manhattan-institute.org |



