Oregon News

During an earlier work session in the Joint Ways and Means Committee, some House Republicans voted for the bill even though it didn't include additional medical liability tort reform.

A fight bubbling up in Salem threatens to derail Oregon's health care reform as Republicans demand caps on lawsuits against health care providers.

A recent editorial in this newspaper, titled "Time to OK a new health plan" (Jan. 31), made some very good points about why lawmakers should pass the governor's health care transformation bill. While hitting many of the high points, the editorial missed some of the glaring issues yet to be resolved. As written, the bill fails to increase access for Oregonians and fails to address the costs of medical malpractice premiums, which are strangling our health care system.

The one political snag that could threaten legislative approval of the health care transformation plan discussed above is Senate Republicans’ insistence that the plan include limits on malpractice lawsuits, such as caps on awards for pain and suffering.

Republicans in the Oregon Senate say they'll fight Gov. John Kitzhaber's proposed overhaul of the Oregon Health Plan unless it includes limits on medical malpractice claims, injecting a hot-button issue into one of the Legislature's biggest debates.

The state of Oregon is entitled to about $55 million from tobacco company Philip Morris USA Inc. under terms of a ruling by the state Supreme Court, a state official estimated Friday.

The U.S. Chamber is applauding a film that documents how the greatest system of justice in the world is being compromised by greed and corruption. InJustice reveals the history behind America's "lawsuit industry" and how it had transformed the practice of law from a calling into a multi-billion dollar a year business. The film by award-winning producer Brian Kelly highlights the abuses of opportunistic trial lawyers and reveals how their actions affect the court system, the legal profession, and lawsuit victims.