Sacramento, CA…The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) announced today its official opposition to the trial lawyer sponsored ballot initiative to alter the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). The recently qualified medical lawsuit ballot initiative on the November 2014 statewide ballot would quadruple the cap on non-economic damages in medical liability lawsuits from $250,000 to $1.1 million, with annual increases going forward.

“If approved by voters, this measure poses a significant threat to the access and availability of medical care services in California’s rural counties,” said Nate Beason, RCRC Chair and Nevada County Supervisor. “Furthermore, it will only lead to increased medical malpractice litigation costs, increased costs for healthcare programs provided by county governments, and increased costs to provide health benefits for current and retired employees.”

According to the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office, this initiative would significantly increase healthcare costs for state and local governments by “hundreds of millions of dollars annually.” If approved, it would jeopardize access to care at public hospitals and community health clinics, reduce the availability of providers (especially specialists), and limit other health care services provided by counties and special districts.

ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)

The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-four member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter.

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