Gov. Ducey Seeks Cap For Damages In Medical Malpractice Suits

Published: Monday, July 31, 2017 - 2:13pm
Updated: Monday, July 31, 2017 - 2:18pm

Gov. Doug Ducey wants Congress to adopt limits on what jurors can award to medical malpractice victims, a cap that Arizona voters have previously rejected multiple times.

Ducey believes that a limit on damages should be part of anything that becomes a replacement for Affordable Care Act. He told Capitol Media Services some of the cost for health care in Arizona can be blamed on high malpractice insurance premiums and awards to patients in lawsuits.

"I define 'tort reform' as allowing justice when there is wrongdoing, but not pushing doctors out of the marketplace, not making it so burdensome to practice medicine," Ducey said.

It’s an idea that has been previously rejected three times by Arizona voters at the ballot box and would require the repeal of two provisions in the original state constitution.

The governor's comments came as the U.S. Senate killed the last-ditch effort by Republican leaders to repeal what has become known as Obamacare. It was John McCain, the state's senior senator, who cast the deciding vote on the "skinny repeal" plan which would have annulled the Affordable Care Act.