House Committee Backs Medical Liability Reform Bill.

The Hill (5/12, Baker) “Healthwatch” blog reports that the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday “passed new limits on lawsuits against doctors after defeating Democratic amendments to preserve more lenient state laws.” The measure, which passed “30-20 after a daylong markup,” would cap “non-economic damages in malpractice cases at $250,000 and set other restrictions on lawsuits against doctors.” The bill “isn’t expected to gain traction in the Senate.”
CQ Today (5/12, Attias, Subscription Publication) notes that the measure (HR 5) is also “unlikely to win support from President Obama, who has said caps on malpractice awards, like those included in the legislation, could be unfair to those who are wrongfully harmed.” Instead, the President has proposed “giving $250 million in grants to help states rewrite their own medical malpractice laws.”