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State Representative Matt Dean
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3018
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NEWS RELEASE
Liability Reform Bill Moves Ahead in the House
ST. PAUL -- A plan to help address the medical liability insurance crisis in Minnesota is one step closer to reality.
Sponsored by State Representative Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, House File 1464 would offer a higher level of protection to emergency medical care providers by extending the “Good Samaritan Law,” which affords protection to those who provide on-scene assistance to accident or violence victims. The extension would cover emergency room doctors and obstetricians who are required by federal law to treat patients in need of emergency treatment.
“Access to quality, affordable health care is nearing a crisis point in Minnesota,” Dean said. “This will help keep doctors in the hospitals and reduce their costs.”
Emergency room physicians who support the extension testified before the House Civil Law and Elections Committee that they have been forced to go to places like Switzerland or the Cayman Islands to obtain insurance because they cannot afford insurance locally or because it is simply not offered. In 2003, Abbott Northwestern's emergency room was within four days of closing its doors because they lost their insurance and could not obtain a policy.
In Minnesota, the liability crisis has forced 1 out of 7 OBGYNs to stop delivering babies all together. Rural areas feel this strain the most, Dean said, because losing doctors could force patients in need of emergency care to drive long distances to see a doctor. Losing doctors also forces more patients onto doctors who remain in practice, which creates more liability and leads to even higher premiums.
“It creates its own unending cycle,” Dean said.
Thirty years ago, California passed liability reform to protect access to medical services. Since then dozens of states have followed.
“Unfortunately, the crisis is here and if we do not act soon, it will be too late,” Dean said.
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