Thanks to all of our members who participated the New York State Radiological Society’s year-long advocacy to defeat this legislation. Led by our lobbyists, we coordinated efforts with MSSNY and numerous medical specialty societies. Members of the Board of Directors, Governmental Affairs Committee and lobbying firm met with legislators and e-mailed messages of opposition to legislators; we sent out call-to-action e-mails to our membership to contact the Governor’s office; and we placed ads in the Empire Report (below).
This legislation would have resulted in more lawsuits and lengthened the statute of limitations. It would have substantially expanded possible damages in these cases to include compensation for grief and anguish, increasing NYS’s already high medical liability insurance premiums, by up to 40%. This would have translated into tens of thousands of dollars in increased costs for physicians.
Just before the January 30th deadline, Governor Hochul issued a veto. In an op-ed in the NY Daily News Governor Hochul wrote “experts have highlighted concerns that the unintended consequences of this far-reaching, expansive legislation would be significant. It is reasonable to think that the legislation as drafted will drive up already-high health insurance premiums, adding significant costs for many sectors of our economy.” Rather than enacting legislation that will force more doctors out of NYS, Governor Hochul suggested a focus on reforms to bring about a more fair and balanced liability system. Our Society will continue advocating for this to ensure patients maintain access to medical care.
Thank-you to our NYS Radiological Society members who supported our advocacy efforts by contacting Governor Hochul’s office to express their opposition. And thank you to our lobbyists Bob Reid and Kayla Bogdanowicz from Reid, McNally and Savage who marshalled the resources of multiple medical societies, worked collaboratively with MSSNY, and successfully organized opposition efforts.
Robert J. Rapoport, MD FACR and Bonnie Litvack, MD FACR
Co-Chairs Governmental Affairs Committee, NYSRS
Robert Pizzutiello, MS FACR
President, NYSRS