ILL. POLS TABLE MED-MAL, COMP REFORMS:

Although the Illinois General Assembly just wrapped up the longest overtime in state history, several bills critical to the insurance industry fell by the wayside due to ongoing political wrangling and the overshadowing state budget, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). S.B. 2239, the medical malpractice reform bill, was sabotaged by disagreement between trial lawyers, doctors and hospitals, who could not agree on several crucial elements, including protection of doctors’ personal assets, changes to bad-faith requirements, and a provision preventing plaintiffs from naming hospitals in malpractice lawsuits filed against doctors. They were able to reach an agreement on tighter restrictions on doctors who can serve as expert witnesses and those who can certify a case has merit. H.B. 805, a workers’ compensation reform package agreed to by both business and labor, faltered when business group support began to splinter and the City of Chicago opposed the bill.