Bill > HB1646

This bill modifies the collateral source rule, which traditionally prevents evidence of compensation from third-party sources (like insurance) from being used to reduce damages in a legal case. The bill changes several key provisions: it allows defendants to receive credit for payments they or their insurers make toward a plaintiff's special damages, preventing the plaintiff from recovering those same expenses again; it permits parties in personal injury cases to introduce evidence of the actual cost of medical care, defined as the amount actually paid by or on behalf of the plaintiff, including contractual discounts and write-offs, rather than the full billed amount; and it prohibits introducing evidence of the original medical bill if that bill has been discounted or partially paid. The bill also specifies that these actual medical costs and discounts can be used as evidence for potential future treatment costs. The goal appears to be creating more transparency about medical expenses in legal proceedings and preventing plaintiffs from recovering medical costs that have already been paid or reduced by insurance or other contractual arrangements.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1646&year=2026&code=R