Oregon News

Gov. John Kitzhaber signed a bill Monday creating a new process for patients, doctors and health care providers to mediate disputes over medical errors.

The Oregon Senate voted today to approve an alternative to some medical-malpractice lawsuits. The 26-3 vote moved Senate Bill 483 to the House.

People in Oregon have never warmed to the idea of limiting their power to sue doctors or hospitals. In recent years, voters have twice rejected proposed caps on non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits, forcing state leaders to look elsewhere for reforms.

Oregon has become one of the few (if not the only to date) states that have adopted the "fraud on the market" presumption of reliance under state securities law.

A state committee meets in Portland Wednesday afternoon for the second time, set up to make changes to how medical malpractice lawsuits work in Oregon.

Health care reform almost died in the Oregon Legislature last year during a fight over new proposed caps for damages in malpractice lawsuits. Gov. John Kitzhaber's reform effort prevailed without caps, but the politically charged questions surrounding medical liability in this state went unanswered. That can't last.

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.