Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-2580
Sponsor: Rep. Gingrey, Phil [R-GA-11]
Introduced: 2007-06-06 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Accident insurance
Blood
Bribery
Child health
Civil actions and liability
Collection of accounts
Commerce
Conflict of interests
Crime and Law Enforcement
Damages
Department of Health and Human Services
Disability insurance
Disabled
Drug approvals
Drug industry
Drugs
Evidence (Law)
Families
Federal officials
Federal preemption
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Health care fraud
Health insurance
Labeling
Labor and Employment
Law
Legal fees
Liability (Law)
Liability insurance
Licenses
Liens
Limitation of actions
Medical malpractice
Medical supplies
Minors
Misconduct in office
Packaging
Parties to actions
Product safety
Products liability
Punitive damages
State laws
Vaccines
Workers' compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: 
Help Efficient, Accessible, Low Cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2007 - Sets conditions for lawsuits arising from health care liability claims regarding health care goods or services or any medical product affecting interstate commerce. 
 
 Sets a statute of limitations of three years after the date of manifestation of injury or one year after the claimant discovers the injury, with certain exceptions. 
Provides that nothing in this Act limits recovery of the full amount of available economic damages. Limits noneconomic damages to $250,000. Makes each party liable only for the amount of damages directly proportional to such party's percentage of responsibility. 
Allows the court to restrict the payment of attorney contingency fees. Limits the fees to a decreasing percentage based on the increasing value of the amount awarded. 
 
Allows the introduction of collateral source benefits and the amount paid to secure such benefits as evidence. Prohibits a provider of such benefits from recovering any amount from an award in a health care lawsuit involving injury or wrongful death. 
Authorizes the award of punitive damages only where: (1) it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that a person acted with malicious intent to injure the claimant or deliberately failed to avoid unnecessary injury the claimant was substantially certain to suffer; and (2) compensatory damages are awarded. Limits punitive damages to the greater of two times the amount of economic damages or $250,000. 
Denies punitive damages in the case of products approved, cleared, or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or otherwise considered in compliance with FDA standards. 
 
Provides for periodic payments of future damages.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-06-06
text: Introduced in House