AAI, IIABA LIKE MED-MAL PLAN

President Bush’s proposal for major legislative reforms to address the medical malpractice liability crisis has been praised by both the Alliance of American Insurers and the IIABA. In a recent speech in North Carolina, Bush proposed a number of reforms including a $250,000 cap on non-economic or punitive damages in medical malpractice lawsuits. Robert A. Rusbuldt, CEO of the IIABA praised Bush for his leadership and echoed the call for passage of medical malpractice reform. He stated that without reform litigation will continue to spiral out of control, forcing more doctors to close practices or move to states with less-hostile, medical-legal environments and leaving people without access to quality health care. Kenneth Schloman, Alliance counsel, said Bush’s proposal is a “common sense solution to a problem that has resulted in higher medical prices and less choice for Americans and shows that the “Administration is clearly interested in making health care more affordable, more available and safer for patients.” He added that Bush’s plan is “very similar to the Health Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Health Care (HEALTH) Act of 2002, HR 4600, introduced by Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-PA) and currently being considered by the House Judiciary Committee.” The White House contends that the plan could save the federal government $30 billion per year in health costs and could reduce such costs for all Americans by $60 billion a year or more. In addition to a cap on punitive damages, Bush proposed litigation reform that would make it easier for doctors and hospitals to share information about mistakes while protecting those discussions from discovery in malpractice lawsuits.

Topics Agencies