News

House Committee Approves Malpractice Reform Bill

Medical liability reform legislation is moving through the U.S. House of Representatives. The House Judiciary Committee has approved H.R. 5, what is called the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act, on a vote of 18 to 15. This follows President Obama’s recent comments that identified frivolous lawsuits as a problem for the nation’s health care system.

It also follows a report from the American Medical Association that stated: “Rising liability costs, combined with the increased fear of being sued, are leading three-quarters of American physicians to practice defensive medicine, ordering tests or procedures that are more about protecting against the threat of litigation than improving health care.” The AMA estimates that costs associated with defensive medicine drain between $70 billion and $126 billion out of the health care system each year.

If the full House of Representatives approves H.R. 5, it will go to the U.S. Senate, which would have to approve it, before the bill could go to President Obama.

To read more please see http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/02/07/edsa0207.htm