Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act
Latest action. Committee on the Budget. Hearings held in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
Saving Lives, Saving Costs Act
Establishes a framework for health care liability lawsuits to undergo review by independent medical review panels if health care professionals (practicing physicians or their agents or employees) allege adherence to applicable clinical practice guidelines.
Requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to publish clinical practice guidelines provided and maintained by national or state medical societies or medical specialty societies designated by HHS. Sets forth standards for the development of guidelines, including standards related to transparency, the composition of the panel, and the review of existing evidence. Prohibits holding a professional organization or a participant in guideline development liable for injury allegedly caused by adherence to a guideline to which they contributed.
Declares that this Act does not preempt: (1) any state or federal law that imposes greater procedural or substantive protections for health care providers and health care organizations from liability, loss, or damages than those provided under this Act; (2) any state or federal law that creates a cause of action; or (3) any defenses otherwise available.
Gives jurisdiction of health care liability actions against health care professionsals, providers, or organizations to district courts. Allows a defendant to remove any health care liability action brought in a state court to a district court.
Requires an independent medical review in health care liability actions that have been removed to a district court if the eligible professionals allege that they adhered to applicable clinical practice guidelines. Sets forth procedures for the use of the panel's findings at trial.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 2, 2015. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 8, 2015: Committee on the Budget. Hearings held in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced it on June 2, 2015, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 2, 2015, 4118 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4112 days ago, on June 8, 2015.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers