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Malpractice bill delayed in Senate
WASHINGTON -– A repeat House win was assured, but the Senate will take longer to decide on the issue of liability reform.
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported that Senate Republicans tried to draft legislation to cap jury awards for noneconomic damages at $500,000 but lacked supporters for the bill.
Sen. Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., drafted alternative legislation that would have increased the pain and suffering awards to $2 million, according to the newspaper.
The measure was a bipartisan compromise that later lost support. It would have been a flexible cap, reported The Sacramento Bee, but was opposed by medical associations, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Sixty votes are needed to pass the bill in the Senate.