It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up week five already. We are going at pretty good pace as we have passed several major pieces of legislation so far. Some people have mentioned to me that it seems like we are racing things through the process. Five weeks have gone and the first funnel date is quickly approaching, which means there is a time crunch in order for bills to pass out of the standing committees. I would say we are on track for the time frame, we have to follow, set out in the House Rules.

Bills must pass out of the standing committees by the funnel date in order for them to stay alive and be eligible for debate on the House floor.

Daylight Saving Time

A couple weeks ago I wrote that I was taking a break from introducing the Daylight-Savings Time Bill. I know many of you were disappointed by this. Well, guess what? Rep. Megan Jones and Rep. Jacob Bossman have introduced a Daylight Savings bill. It will be very similar to my bills in the past.

Iowa House passes bill on medical malpractice

The Iowa House passed House File 161, a bill to limit the total amount of non-economic damages for a medical malpractice claim at $2 million for causes of action involving a hospital, and at $1 million for all other causes of action. This bill does maintain an existing limit in law for non-economic damages at $250,000 when there has not been a substantial or permanent loss or impairment of a bodily function, substantial disfigurement, loss of pregnancy or death. This bill does not limit economic damages — those that are quantifiable like lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, past and future medical bills.

Twenty-eight states currently have either a limit on non-economic or total damages, including all of Iowa’s surrounding states, with the exception of only Minnesota and Illinois. Illinois did pass a $500,000 noneconomic damage cap, but it was overturned by their state court.

This bill will help Iowa recruit and retain physicians. Iowa already ranks 44th in the nation of physicians per capita, and it is even worse for needed specialty care like psychiatry and OB/GYNs.

During the interim, I talked to doctors, hospital board members, and administrators. They made it clear that rural health care was at risk if we did not do something about the high cost of insurance and court cases forcing older doctors to consider resigning and in worst cases causing medical facilities to close.

Every single medical provider in Iowa registered in support of this bill. The Iowa Chamber Alliance is also registered in support. Health care is a necessary component to every community, and the Chamber knows the extreme difficulty Iowa communities are having recruiting physicians to their area.

No amount of money can ever make up for the loss of a loved one. But in Iowa, massive non-economic damage awards have increased exponentially. Iowa’s liability environment continues to get worse as juries are awarding bigger damages than we have ever seen. Last March, there was an award of $97.4 million with $40 million for non-economic damages — unquantifiable amounts toward pain and suffering.

State Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, represents Calhoun. Pocahontas and Sac counties, plus western Webster County.