government
Medical liability bill modeled after Texas law introduced
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 14, 2011
Rep. Michael Burgess, MD (R, Texas), reintroduced legislation in the U.S. House that he said would tackle the problem of unnecessary lawsuits against physicians.
The Medical Justice Act mirrors a law adopted in Dr. Burgess' home state of Texas in 2003. The bill, which Dr. Burgess has introduced numerous times, would cap the noneconomic damages a person can recover in injury and wrongful death cases to $250,000. Total damages would be capped at $1.4 million, a figure that would rise with inflation.
"We need national, across-the-board change in the tort reform system, and my bill would do just that," Dr. Burgess said. "Runaway lawsuits are unnecessary and costly, and reforming medical liability must be a part of the national health care debate."
Another medical liability reform bill, the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost Timely Healthcare Act, sponsored by Rep. Phil Gingrey, MD (R, Ga.), was approved by the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 16. It is based on a long-time California liability statute and heads to the House floor for consideration.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/03/14/gvbf0314.htm.
