Urge Governor to Veto Wrongful Death Liability Expansion!
Earlier this year, Governor Hochul vetoed a bill passed by the legislature that would have greatly expanded damages awardable in wrongful death actions and dramatically increased liability insurance premiums. A new version of this bill (A.6698/S.6636) passed the Senate and Assembly and will be brought to the Governor’s desk.
Unfortunately, this legislation does not address the concerns raised by MSSNY and many other groups, as it would significantly increase the type of awardable damages in New York. One recent actuarial estimate indicated that passing legislation to include the awarding of non-economic damages could require a liability premium increase of nearly 40%, which translates to tens of thousands of dollars in new costs for physicians making it impossible for many to stay in practice. These kinds of increases are untenable and could have negative consequences on patient access to care at community hospitals and physician offices, particularly as we continue to recover from the pandemic.
Please contact Governor Hochul today by email and phone and urge that she VETO this bill (A.6698/S.6636). Call Governor Hochul at 518-474-8390. Press Option 3, then press Option 1 to leave a voicemail or Option 2 to speak with a person.
The Solution. MSSNY stands ready to work with the Governor, Senate, and Assembly on a revised bill to ensure legal remedies for grieving families, but it also must protect the ability of New York’s physicians, hospitals, and healthcare workers to deliver the care our patients expect and deserve. They cannot do this if the legislature increases their enormous liability insurance cost burden, which already exceeds every other state in the country. Worst of all, these costs would disproportionately impact physicians working in underserved communities.
Please urge that any renewed legislation to update New York’s wrongful death law be balanced to address the extraordinary medical liability costs in our state.
