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Bill: Tort Reform Act
Details
Submitted by[?]: Iqembu Sokusebenzisana Yeningi
Status[?]: passed
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: May 2242
Description[?]:
| An act to remove legal limits on awards in medical malpractice lawsuits |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change Tort reform on non-civil lawsuits.
Old value:: There is a cap on monetary damages awarded to patients in lawsuits.
Current: There is no cap on monetary damages awarded to patients in lawsuits.
Proposed: There is no cap on monetary damages awarded to patients in lawsuits.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 06:23:49, June 14, 2006 CET | From |  Iqembu Sokusebenzisana Yeningi | To | Debating the Tort Reform Act |
| Message | Who are we to put a value on a person's life or health? The cap on medical malpractice awards is unfair andshould be removed. |
| Date | 11:57:14, June 14, 2006 CET | From | Ikradonian Faith Party | To | Debating the Tort Reform Act |
| Message | Agreed. |
| Date | 16:27:48, June 14, 2006 CET | From | Lyika ati Isọdọtun | To | Debating the Tort Reform Act |
| Message | Wait a minute, you say "who are we to put a value on a person's life or health," but that's precisely what medical malpractice awards do, regardless of whether there's a cap. If you have a problem with this practice, then perhaps you should consider getting rid of malpractice suits altogether. We put this cap in place many years ago to stem a trend toward frivolous lawsuits, excessively high damages, increasing insurance premiums, and soaring health care costs. The cap on monetary damages protects all those involved; the only person who ultimately stands to benefit from this proposal is the personal injuries lawyer who would become insanely wealthy by pushing malpractice payouts into the stratosphere. |
| Date | 06:12:46, June 15, 2006 CET | From | Iqembu Sokusebenzisana Yeningi | To | Debating the Tort Reform Act |
| Message | The IPC feels that putting a limit on compensation for grevious injuries caused by provable harm, is not fair to those harmed as a result of medical malpractice. The effect on medical costs should be negligible as long as juries use their common sense, which the IPC trusts them to do. |
| Date | 22:01:38, June 15, 2006 CET | From | Liberal Conservative | To | Debating the Tort Reform Act |
| Message | I agree based on the common sense argument. While there is a risk of over the top awards, limiting them can lead to equally unfair ones. Some suggested awards for injuries should be used but with the judges allowed adapt based on the specific circumstances. |
| Date | 22:08:20, June 15, 2006 CET | From | Lyika ati Isọdọtun | To | Debating the Tort Reform Act |
| Message | What the IPC fails to take into account is that juries are quite often biased against health care establishments. Particularly in the case of nursing homes and rural hospitals, research has shown that juries do not use common sense and are very rarely unbiased when evaluating such cases. This is underscored by the fact that some health care administrators often choose to simply settle, even in the case of frivolous suits, because they are wary of taking their case before a jury that will not hear their case impartially. This bill will only exacerbate the problem of frivolous suits, as lawyers and imprudent patients see more and more opportunity to gain at the expense of health care professionals. To be certain, when doctors and nurses fail to fulfill their duties, they should be punished and the victim should be compensated generously. This can be accomplished, however, without opening the door for increased frivolous lawsuits and mounting health care costs. |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | ||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 361 | ||||
| no |
Total Seats: 202 | ||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 36 |
| Random fact: Moderation will not approve a Cultural Protocol request within the first 48 hours of it being requested. This is in order to give other players a chance to query the proposed changes, if they wish to do so. Moderation may be approached for advice on a proposed change, but any advice proffered should always be understood under the provisio that no final decision will be made until at least 48 hours after the request has been formally submitted for approval. |
| Random quote: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun... our principle is to have the Party control the gun and never allow the gun to control the Party." - Mao Zedong |