Responsibly Modernizing Medical Liability Caps
Colorado’s health care system is under attack.
Hospitals, health care providers, patient advocates, and legislators have worked diligently to make health care in Colorado more accessible and affordable. Colorado is now the best state in the nation for health care affordability and quality, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Yet the health care system and the patients it serves are threatened by a series of concerning proposed ballot initiatives from trial lawyers.
A better solution.
Senate Bill 24-130 would seek to increase the non-economic damage cap to $500,000 over a five-year period, providing a balanced approach to compensating Coloradans who are plaintiffs of medical liability while also ensuring accessibility, affordability, and stability in Colorado’s health care system.
Background:
There are currently two types of medical liability awards in Colorado – economic damages and non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are intangible losses such as reduced quality of life, pain, and emotional trauma. In Colorado, these awards are currently capped at $300,000.
- Increases the limit on how much an individual can collect when they win a lawsuit to a reasonable level, while still protecting health care for millions of Coloradans.
- Positions Colorado to continue attracting and retaining talented health care providers.
Protects patients and the medical community, promoting access to high-quality, affordable
health care for all Coloradans.
- Preserve access to health care for Coloradans, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
- Protect patients from skyrocketing health care costs.
- Help maintain access to higher-risk procedures and specialty care.
Colorado’s medical liability laws protect medical professionals and patients by keeping health care in our state affordable and accessible. Colorado hospitals agree that Colorado’s caps should be raised, but it must be done in a predictable and responsible way that ensures access to affordable care for patients and a positive environment for health care providers to continue practicing in Colorado.
CHA Contact: Joshua Ewing, CHA vice president of government affairs | [email protected]
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