1099 Repeal, Medical Liability Bills Advance

Separately, the House Judiciary Committee approved a comprehensive medical liability reform bill that will now go to the full House for consideration. H.R. 5, the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act, would help relieve a significant portion of healthcare costs imposed by a clearly broken medical liability system. The legislation would cap awards for pain and suffering and other non-economic damages at $250,000. In addition, it would cap punitive damages at the greater of two-times economic damages or $250,000. It would also institute a system of proportional liability in medical liability cases, among other key reforms.
“Yesterday’s action by the House Judiciary Committee is a welcome beginning to the legislative push for meaningful medical liability reform,” said Lisa Rickard, president of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. “President Obama was right when he identified frivolous lawsuits as a problem for America’s health care system and today’s vote shows that many in Congress agree.”