Repeals the collateral source rule in medical malpractice actions.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would change a longstanding legal rule in Rhode Island specifically for medical malpractice lawsuits. Currently, under what's called the "collateral source rule," if a patient sues a doctor or hospital for malpractice, the amount of money the patient can receive is not reduced just because their health insurance or another outside source already paid for some of their medical bills. This bill would repeal that rule in malpractice cases, meaning that any payments a patient already received from insurance or other outside sources would be taken into account when calculating how much a healthcare provider owes them.

In practical terms, this means that if someone was injured due to medical negligence and their insurance company covered, say, $50,000 in medical bills, a court could subtract that amount from the damages the patient could recover from the negligent provider. The goal is to prevent a patient from receiving "double payment" — once from their insurance and again from the defendant in a lawsuit. Supporters of such changes often argue it reduces overall costs in the healthcare system, while critics argue it can unfairly benefit negligent providers at the expense of injured patients.

This bill would affect patients who have been harmed by medical malpractice, healthcare providers and hospitals facing lawsuits, insurance companies, and the courts that handle these cases. The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken.