Malpractice reform could make a big dent in the cost of health care reform, according to a new report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
Adding a slew of new restrictions on medical malpractice lawsuits could save up to $54 billion over the next 10 years, the CBO said in seven-page letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
The restrictions considered by the CBO are a combination of various Republican proposals, and include instituting a $250,000 cap on awards for pain and suffering, a $500,000 cap on punitive damages and a deadline of one year for adults and three years for children to file a lawsuit after discovering a medical injury.
"CBO now estimates, on the basis of an analysis incorporating the results of recent research, that if [a package of restrictions including those listed above] was enacted, it would reduce total national health care spending by about 0.5%," CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf writes in the letter.
Republicans have long clamored for malpractice or "tort" reform, but Democrats have balked, citing the potential negative impact on health outcomes if patients weren't able to effectively sue for negligent care. But who knows, maybe this report could finally turn some heads and give some fuel to the Republican argument.