HELENA – Republicans say proposals to limit medical malpractice claims are among their ideas to lower health care costs as they simultaneously try to undermine implementation of federal health care reform.
One bill pitched Tuesday morning aims to give doctors more protection from lawsuits. Another would limit the amount survivors could seek if a relative died due to medical malpractice.
Doctors supporting the plans say they routinely order unnecessary tests simply out of fear of lawsuits. Opponents argued the doctors only suffer malpractice claims when something wrong is done.
House Republicans were also pushing a plan to amend the Montana Constitution to fight back against federal health care reform. Another plan in committee Tuesday would ban the state from setting up insurance exchanges under the federal law.