House Would Cap Malpractice Awards
Wednesday, May 1st, 2002 Liability LitigationPunitive damages in medical malpractice lawsuits would be capped at $250,000 or two times compensatory damages, whichever is higher, under bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the House of Representatives. The legislation, H.R. 4600, would establish a variety of new tort law restrictions that would apply solely to medical malpractice cases. Supporters of the bill say it is necessary to control what is called a medical malpractice "crisis." "Personal injury lawyer attacks on doctors and other members of the healthcare community have driven up healthcare costs, decreased the quality of care patients receive, and prevented millions of Americans from accessing the healthcare system," said Karen Ignagni, president of the Washington-based American Association of Health Plans.
