Simpson Sponsors Medical Liability Reform Bill

Press Release

Simpson Sponsors Medical Liability Reform Bill

Congressmen Mike Simpson and Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R-GA) today introduced the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act, (H.R. 2580) to reduce frivolous medical lawsuits that are raising the cost of healthcare and driving many physicians out of business.

H.R. 2580 is a bipartisan bill, with 57 cosponsors, that will remove financial incentives for filing expansive lawsuits, while providing a fair and timely reparations process for those who have been wronged.
"It is no secret that America is losing doctors and patients are at risk of losing access to care," said Simpson. "Malpractice insurance is so outrageous that medical students purposely avoid high-risk fields, leaving communities without access to obstetricians, rural family physicians or neurosurgeons, to keep their insurance rates down."

H.R. 2580:
· Limits the amount of non-economic damages, or "pain and suffering" awards, to $250,000.
· Will not permit punitive damages unless an actual economic judgment is rendered, and then limits the amount to no greater than twice the economic damages.
· Maximizes patients' awards by allowing courts to ensure an unjust portion of the patient's recovery is not misdirected to an attorney.
· Allows patients to recover the full cost of economic damages, such as medical bills and lost income.

"We need to reform our medical liability system so that patients can still recover economic losses, but we need reasonable limits that, in the end, will help drive healthcare costs down for everyone," said Simpson.

Source