Senate Judiciary Committee approves bill limiting past medical damages to amounts paid or accepted

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday advanced House Bill 1204, which would limit recovery for past medical expenses in personal‑injury lawsuits to the amounts actually paid by or on behalf of a plaintiff or that remain unpaid and for which the plaintiff is legally responsible.

The bill passed on a committee voice vote after roughly three hours of testimony and questioning, including lawmakers, an attorney for the bill proponents and several people who said they would be harmed by the change.

Proponents said HB 1204 restores fairness by aligning damage awards with what health care providers actually accepted in payment. Justin Allen, a partner with the law firm of Wright, Bridal and Jennings, described the bill in the committee hearing as a way “to rebalance those scales of justice” and said the measure is modeled on statutes enacted in other states. Allen told the committee the bill limits recovery “for past necessary medical care, past necessary medical treatment, or past necessary medical services received” to amounts actually paid or legally owed, and that “this bill does not impact any other category of…