The Illinois House of Representatives has voted down a Democratic medical malpractice reform plan that would have given the state’s insurance department the power to rein in rates it deemed excessive and created a $50 million state fund to help doctors pay their premiums, according to the Associated Press.
The bill, which received only 37 of the required 60 required votes before Chicago Democrat John Fritchey put a stop to voting, would not have instituted the cap on noneconomic damages insurance industry lobbyists say is crucial to lowering loss costs and eventually bringing down rates. Insurers also criticized the bill’s modest attempts to limit frivolous lawsuits, saying a special court to review medical cases is needed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you saw this year’s effort at medical malpractice reform,” Fritchey told the AP. “You won’t see another one.”
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