Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, asked President Barack Obama a question via a YouTube video during Obama's town hall forum on health care yesterday.

Burgess asked Obama why he opposed caps on malpractice suits, since that's proven to bring down medical costs for doctors in Texas.

"In my homestate of Texas, we know what works," Burgess said.

Obama said he opposes "artifical caps" but added, "I want to see, are there ways we can reduce the constant threat of lawsuits that doctors and hospitals experience, because I do think that creates defensive medicine."

Obama then countered Burgess' claim that Texas handles costs better, pointing to a New Yorker article that argues McAllen is a model of wasteful spending.

Burgess responded, in a statement, "The issues raised by the New Yorker article in regards to higher utilization rates in McAllen, Texas, are complex, and are not likely to be directly caused by, or solved by, medical liability reform. This may just as likely point to one of the weaknesses of a government-run payment system – Medicare – as it does any other matter."


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