Mc­Don­nell vetoes bill to raise medical malpractice awards; override attempt expected

[Derechos]

As expected, Gov. Bob Mc­Don­nell announced Wednesday that he had vetoed a bill that would raise awards in medical malpractice lawsuits $50,000 a year starting in 2012. He told legislators it violated a campaign promise he made.

“Raising the cap for medical malpractice judgments to $3 million over the next twenty years, without further reforms in the medical malpractice litigation system, will not meaningfully protect against health care cost increases,’’ Mc­Don­nell said in a statement. “While I commend the affected stakeholders for working diligently together, increasing the medical malpractice cap will ultimately lead towards higher health care costs for doctors, hospitals, businesses, and most importantly, patients.”

The General Assembly is expected to attempt to override the veto when lawmakers return to Richmond next week. Legislative leaders had previously warned Mc­Don­nell that the legislature so overwhelmingly approved the bill that both chambers could override a veto. The Senate passed the bill unanimously while the House of Delegates approved it 89-7.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/mcdonnell-vetoes-bill-to-raise-medical-malpractice-awards-override-attempt-expected/2011/03/29/AF1HRG2B_blog.html