House of Representatives Passes Medical Liability Reform

WASHINGTON, DC: On June 28, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act (PACA), by a 218-210 vote. This medical liability reform legislation will prevent lawsuit abuse by capping noneconomic damages and limiting contingency fees for attorneys. Dr. Andy Harris (MD-01) released the following statement in support of the legislation and passage:

“PACA is a victory for patients that will increase access to high quality medical care and reduce health care costs. Lawsuit abuse forces physicians to practice defensive medicine, meaning that patients undergo unnecessary and expensive treatments to reduce the risk of litigation. This legislation will provide balanced protections for both patients and their providers, improve the quality of health care, lower the cost of premiums, and save the federal taxpayer tens of billions of dollars. This is a commonsense solution to lower the cost of care, and should have been passed under the Obama Administration years ago.”