Malpractice Bill Ready for Full House

H.R. 5 would not apply to civil actions brought for vaccine-related injury or death.

The price tag of malpractice liability and defensive medicine comes to $55.6 billion a year, or 2.4% of healthcare spending, a Harvard study says. While tort reform efforts to reduce malpractice lawsuit threats, such as those suggested in the Affordable Care Act, might reduce that cost, other efforts underway, such as the remodeling of the healthcare delivery system with "alterations to the fee-for-service system and the incentives it provides for overuse, probably provide greater opportunities for savings," the report states.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that enacting H.R. 5 would increase federal revenues by $6 billion in 10 years and reduce federal spending for Medicare, Medicaid and a portion of the Federal Employees Health Benefits program by $34 billion over 10 years.

See Also:
Tort Reform's Impact on Lowering Medical Malpractice Litigation Costs May Be Limited