Burr aims to solve health care 'crisis'

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The man who filled John Edwards' Senate seat stands in stark contrast to the personal injury attorney and failed vice-presidential candidate.

North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr favors reforms in the legal system to rein in medical malpractice lawsuits, which he blames for the inflation in medical costs.

"The health care crisis, I believe, is the number one issue," Mr. Burr said in an interview with The Washington Times.

Mr. Edwards made millions suing doctors and hospitals. He blamed skyrocketing health care costs on insurance companies and dismissed all of the aggressive Republican plans for tort reform stalled in Congress.

Mr. Burr said the rising health care costs have driven many doctors out of business -- especially in rural areas -- leaving many North Carolinians without health care.

"If you go into labor, you're going to go to the doctor even if you have to drive 60 miles," he said. "But if you're pregnant and need prenatal care, you might not drive that far."

Mr. Burr also remains open-minded about dealing with the malpractice insurance premiums doctors pay.

"If we can't come up with legislation to moderate that, then the federal government could create an independent fund to deal with that," he said. "We do it with flood insurance."

Mr. Burr's campaign against second-time Democratic Senate nominee Erskine Bowles -- who once served as chief of staff to President Clinton -- was about far more than just tort reform.

"Their discourse in the campaign really focused on jobs, the Iraq war and Social Security reform," said Tim Vercellotti, polling director for Elon University in North Carolina. "And really, there weren't that many differences between the two on those issues."