Rocky Mountain News staff editorial

...A bill pending in the state Senate threatens to unravel Colorado's "stable" environment for medical liability law - and it could undermine Gov. Bill Ritter's plans to expand health care coverage for low-income Coloradans.

Senate Bill 164, by Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, would boost the award a patient can receive for pain and suffering (noneconomic damages) in medical malpractice lawsuits from $300,000 to nearly $450,000. That's a big leap, even if some adjustment to account for inflation may well be in order.

Far more disturbing is that the bill would add a new tier of damages in these cases that could blow the lid off of the reasonable limits the legislature had placed on most jury awards....

Read full editorial: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/20/wrong-way-on-damages/