Bill > H986

This bill aims to improve health care quality reviews and reduce costs by making several changes to existing laws. First, it clarifies that medical peer review committees, formed by individual health care providers, physician groups, or facilities to review medical practices, will be subject to certain provisions regardless of whether their formation is legally required or if they are solely affiliated with public or licensed hospitals, nursing homes, or health maintenance organizations. Second, for malpractice lawsuits, the bill changes how interest is calculated on damages awarded to a plaintiff; instead of a standard rate, the interest will be based on the weekly average 1-year constant maturity Treasury yield plus 2 percent, published by the Federal Reserve, from the date the lawsuit began, though it will not exceed the rate specified in another section of law. Third, in malpractice cases, a plaintiff can only recover for a lost opportunity to survive or achieve a better outcome if that opportunity was greater than 50%, and the plaintiff must prove the standard of care, that the provider acted negligently, and that this negligence directly caused the injuries. Finally, the bill states that insurance contracts will not cover punitive, exemplary, or multiple damages unless explicitly stated in the contract.