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Committee advances compromise malpractice reform after hours of testimony
Summary
The House Judiciary Committee voted to advance a committee substitute to House Bill 99, a bipartisan package that changes punitive-damage pleading and caps, tightens patient-compensation fund oversight and differentiates limits for small providers and large hospital systems after hours of pro and con testimony.
Representative Chandler presented the House Judiciary Committee substitute for House Bill 99 and urged members to back what she described as a balanced approach to reforming medical malpractice law in New Mexico. The substitute keeps the 2021 monetary damage caps in place, changes the definition of reimbursable medical value to what is paid rather than what is billed, and adds a differentiated punitive-damage regime intended to reduce unpredictable liability while preserving accountability for egregious conduct.
Supporters from hospitals, chambers and many physicians told the committee the state’s malpractice insurance market is broken and that predictable liability rules are necessary to recruit and retain providers. Troy Clark, CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association, said the substitute “inserts…
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