February 15, 2022
The California Medical Association (CMA) and its community county health-related societies have joined collectively with hundreds of companies in opposing the so-named Fairness for Wounded People Act (FIPA) since it will devastate our well being care shipping technique, hurt local community overall health centers and raise health care fees for ALL Californians.
For quite a few several years, California’s medical liability procedure has been safeguarded by a bipartisan collection of legal guidelines called MICRA (Professional medical Injury Payment Reform Act), which has balanced the rights of wounded individuals though trying to keep wellbeing treatment more accessible and economical for all patients.
FIPA will be on the ballot this November and, if passed, will efficiently reduce MICRA’s protections. Funded by a rich out-of-condition demo attorney, this proposition would be a windfall for attorneys at the cost of California’s most susceptible patients.
MICRA makes sure that injured patients acquire payment whilst preserving access to wellness care by keeping companies in practice and hospitals and clinics open. Devoid of MICRA’s protections, lots of of California’s neediest populations could experience lessened obtain to these much-wanted companies.
This flawed initiative would:
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- Remove the cap on equally non-financial damages and attorneys’ service fees. The initiative creates a new classification of injuries that are not presently regarded under California regulation. This new, broadly described category of malpractice lawsuits permits for limitless attorneys’ costs and limitless non-economic damages.
- Reward lawyers right before sufferers. Present regulation permits for clients to be paid for long term damages above time as their remedy and recovery carries on. This evaluate requires all damages to be paid out in a substantial lump sum and improves the danger that people could operate out of dollars in advance of their restoration is finish. These lump-sum payments make it possible for demo lawyers to gather extra in charges.
- Consequence in much more, not fewer frivolous lawsuits. In contrast to other judicial transparency legislation in California, this evaluate would expressly prohibit judges from independently verifying the truthfulness of statements produced by demo attorneys in sure court filings regarded as “certificates of merit” and from disciplining them for dishonesty.



In accordance to the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office environment, this flawed initiative will drive up health care expenses for all Californians by tens of tens of millions “to high hundreds of thousands and thousands of bucks on a yearly basis.” This initiative would obliterate current safeguards for clinical lawsuits — resulting in skyrocketing wellness care fees and huge windfalls for lawyers.
This is not the initially try to change MICRA, but it is the most harming. Now, CMA and hundreds of other businesses are element of a developing coalition to defeat FIPA this November.
The foreseeable future of MICRA is on the line. We know that by means of our collective attempts, we can defeat this harmful measure and guarantee continued entry to care for thousands and thousands of Californians.
We will need your enable to educate millions of Californians about the disastrous effects this initiative would have on our health and fitness treatment method. For additional information on how you can assist defeat FIPA, you should pay a visit to protectmicra.org.
