Ill. panel OKs malpractice House bills

[Judi Lynn]

Ill. panel OKs malpractice House bills

By Ryan Keith
The Associated Press
Published May 11, 2005, 3:51 PM CDT


SPRINGFIELD -- State lawmakers pushed ahead Wednesday with a plan to rein in high jury awards in medical malpractice lawsuits that doctors blame for their soaring insurance rates.

A House committee voted 12-2 for the proposal backed by doctors and Republicans to cap non-economic damages such as pain and suffering that malpractice victims can win in court. The proposal also includes protecting doctors' personal assets in lawsuits and shielding hospitals from some legal claims.
(snip)

But as the measure heads to the House floor for a vote as early as Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers and lobbyists predicted it would undergo a makeover amid a bitter fight.

Opponents including trial lawyers and some Democrats blasted the proposal as unfair to victims and unconstitutional.

"If this bill ever becomes law, doctors and hospitals probably won't need insurance," said Keith Hebeisen of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, who dubbed the measure the "wrongdoer protection act."
(snip/...)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050511malpractice,1,1759219.story?coll=chi-newslocal-hed
(Free registration is required)

[cornermouse]

1. So much for personal responsibility...

:shrug: