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(Fort Myers, FL) - Governor DeSantis says he will veto a medical malpractice bill that allows uncapped non-economic damages.
DeSantis speaking today at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Myers says he will veto the bill, HB 6017, that would repeal a 1990 law that caps damages in medical malpractice lawsuits when the victim is 25 years or older. Critics of the law refer to it as the "free kill" law.
DeSantis says his veto keeps the caps on med mal damages which he says deters "jackpot justice" which causes insurance premiums to “skyrocket” by allowing people to expand economic damage claims to include non-economic damages.
Supporters of the repeal have said the law prevents people from getting justice for deaths caused by medical malpractice that results in death.
Florida's Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, joining the governor today in Fort Myers, says poor bedside manner usually gets doctors sued. Both say the doctors, not insurance companies should be held accountable.
“This is a 35-year-old law that needs to be repealed. … It’s unjust. It shouldn’t be on the books,” Senate bill sponsor Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, said before the Senate voted 33-4 to pass the bill on May 1.
The governor has until Friday to act on HB 60-17.