NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Where are all the primary care physicians in New Mexico and why are residents traveling out of state to get the care they need? Lawmakers are tackling these questions with a controversial bill. Those for SB 176 blame medical malpractice lawyers for pushing doctors out of state, while those against it blame corporate greed.
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“I must acknowledge it is harder and harder to practice medicine here every day,” said one New Mexico doctor.
A New Mexico doctor pleaded with lawmakers in the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee to pass a bill she believes could bring more doctors to the state.
“We are exhausted and demoralized, we are physically unable to meet the needs of our own patients and meet the demands of the state, and we can’t access care for our patients cause of shortages across all specialties,” said another New Mexico doctor.
But others oppose the bill, saying it won’t fix the shortage and would hurt patients instead. “This bill does nothing to make health care safer for New Mexico, and instead further limits injured patients’ rights to seek justice,” said one New Mexican.
So, what would the bill do? Well, first it would cap attorneys’ fees in medical malpractice lawsuits. Secondly, it would end lump sum payouts from the patient compensation fund and finally it would send 75% of any punitive damages awarded to victims, to a new public fund designed to improve patient safety.
“The number of cases and the settlements have gone up dramatically in the state,” said Senator Martin Hickey, (D-Albuquerque).
Sponsors argue New Mexico has no cap for attorneys’ fees, which has attracted more lawsuits and increased the cost of insurance, which in turn would burden smaller practices.
“This bill does nothing to protect New Mexicans. It doesn’t do anything to protect the doctors. So, who does it protect? It protects the insurance companies and the out-of-state for profit corporations. That the doctors are also a victim of,” said a New Mexico Attorney.
One family held up a photo of a baby whose life they say was lost because of the negligence of a doctor. They explained that the cost of going up against large corporations with out-of-state lawyers is expensive. “You increase profits to those businesses that are hurting and killing New Mexicans,” said the baby’s mother.
“We have a target on our back because of the hostile legal system that allows baseless punitive damages to be alleged,” said a New Mexico doctor.
Lawmakers are set to decide on if the bill will move out of committee on Friday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
