PSA: Medical Society of New York urges Gov. Hochul to establish work group to craft bill on wrongful death

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January 23, 2023 

MSSNY Calls on Governor Hochul: “Create a Workgroup to Craft Legislation that Addresses the Goals of Wrongful Death Bill”

Statement From Dr. Parag Mehta, President, Medical Society of the State of New York

“With just a week remaining for her consideration, we thank Governor Hochul for her careful deliberation of the legislation on her desk to significantly expand the types of damages awardable in wrongful death actions.

“Instead of signing this bill into law, we urge that Governor Hochul create a workgroup that can carefully craft legislation that will meet the goals of this legislation to expand the legal rights of grieving families but will also minimize the profound impact of such legislation on all New Yorkers.

“We understand that this is an incredibly complicated question, balancing the concerns of families who have lost loved ones against the profound concerns about the far-reaching adverse consequences to all New Yorkers, including making access to health care in New York even more difficult.

“While the impact to our towns, cities, counties, and businesses is immense, the most staggering impact of this bill is on our health care system including most particularly underserved areas of our state which already face challenges in retaining specialized physician care to meet our patients’ needs. If this bill is signed into law, it will make our already severe access to care problems far worse.  Hospitals will be forced to reduce services including in already overstretched emergency departments, and many physicians will find that the prohibitive costs of insurance—already far greater than any other state in the country—will leave them with little choice but to retire early or consider practicing in other states.

“Again, we call on Governor Hochul to create a workgroup to craft legislation to address the goals of this legislation in a thoughtful and balanced manner in lieu of signing S74A into law.”

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Founded in 1807, the Medical Society of the State of New York is the state’s principal non-profit professional organization for physicians, residents, and medical students of all specialties. Its mission is to represent the interests of patients and physicians to assure quality healthcare services for all.