Provides that for purposes of all civil actions, the fair and reasonable charge for certain medical and dental services is the amount billed by the licensed healthcare provider.

Plain-English Summary

This Rhode Island bill would establish a legal rule about how medical and dental bills are valued in civil lawsuits. Specifically, it states that when someone is injured and sues another party for compensation, the "fair and reasonable" cost of their medical or dental care is defined as the full amount billed by the healthcare provider — not the lower, negotiated amount that an insurance company may have actually paid.

This matters because in many personal injury cases — like car accidents or slip-and-fall lawsuits — there is often a big difference between what a hospital or doctor bills and what an insurance company actually pays after negotiating discounts. Currently, courts may consider the lower, negotiated (or "written-off") amount as the true cost of care. This bill would change that, requiring courts to use the higher, original billed amount when calculating damages.

The bill primarily affects people involved in civil lawsuits where medical or dental expenses are at issue, including injured plaintiffs seeking compensation, defendants and their insurance companies who may be required to pay, and attorneys arguing these cases. If passed, injured parties could potentially receive larger compensation awards based on the full billed amount rather than the discounted amount actually paid to providers.

The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken.