Ultra, you are correct, medical malpractice drives up the cost of medicine. Look at any corporation and litigation costs are not absorbed, they are built into the final product costs as one more expense. So, the same with medicine there are some specialists paying 150,000 or more per year in medical malpractice insurance premiums. The case doesn't have to be real, the plantiff lawyer just has to create enough doubt in the jury's mind and of course it matters regarding jury demographics. The patients seen for 'free' by the ER are billed back into the system, because hospital CEOs decide how much revenue the hospital needs to offset expenses (for each cost center) and charges appropriately per item (that's why a Tylenol might cost $2). A lot of lawmakers are attorneys and the American Bar is a strong lobby. Also, illegal aliens will continue to use ERs for free health care. So, the only silver lining is more people will have health insurance, and the hospital doesn't have to balance bill as much.
The question is how much will their care cost and do they pay for their own insurance or is it another citizen paying for them through higher tax. The house bill sounds a bit like the Robin Hood seenario.