A measure to reinstate limits on lawsuit awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases is heading to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's desk.
The Missouri House on Tuesday voted 125-27 to approve a measure that would reinstate limits on noneconomic damages in those cases three years after lower caps were struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court.
Supporters say the measure is needed to provide certainty and keep doctors in the state.
The measure, a compromise reached by Senate Democrats and Republicans, would cap most noneconomic awards — which do not include lost wages or medical costs — at $400,000. In catastrophic cases defined in the bill, the cap would be $700,000.
The bill also raises an existing $350,000 cap on noneconomic damages in wrongful death cases to $700,000.
