Burlison bill seeks to reinstate medical malpractice limits

A bill sponsored by Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Springfield, seeking to reinstate a limit on medical malpractice cases met with approval last week in the Missouri House of Representatives.

House Bill 112 was approved March 28 by a 93-62 vote and has been sent to the Senate for consideration, according to a news release from Burlison's office. No hearings were scheduled in the Senate as of this morning.

The bill would bring back the $350,000 limit on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases. The limit was passed by the Missouri General Assembly in 2005, but struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court in July 2012.

“Reasonable limits are the key to containing the costs of health care and retaining our best doctors,” Burlison said in the release. “They worked well here in Missouri prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling, and many other states have used them effectively to keep the cost of health care affordable for everyone.

"We need limits in place again to bring the kind of certainty to the system that will keep insurance rates in check.”

The legislation challenges the Supreme Court's ruling that liability limits violate Missourians' common-law rights to seek damages for medical malpractice claims, the release said.