WASHINGTON – Hospitals are increasingly anxious about resuming elective surgeries without assurances that they will not get sued.

Knee surgeries and colonoscopies, to name two, will likely remain dormant if hospitals do not get guarantees from Congress that they will not be sued by patients and their own workers if someone gets infected with coronavirus during a procedure. Industry lobbies such as the American Hospital Association have articulated this concern and have gotten the attention of many Republican leaders. This fight may prove to be reminiscent of fights such as tort reform and former medical malpractice suits.

The issue of liability protections has been a significant sticking point in the process to create another trillion-dollar-plus coronavirus relief package, one that is primarily aimed at supporting local and state governments that have seen their budgets crippled due to coronavirus. Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have called the protections have stated that it is imperative to include liability protections in the next relief bill. Without them, efforts to reopen will be stalled and blunted greatly.

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