Newsday: Expanding wrongful death statute isn’t OK

By: Dr. Parag Mehta

The article about expanding New York’s wrongful death statute importantly mentions the strong opposition of local governments because of the impact to state taxpayers “Wrongful death statute,” News, July 24].

Not mentioned, however, is the enormous adverse impact this legislation would have on our already battered health care system, struggling to recover from the pandemic.

As physicians, we understand patient suffering and feel for victims of wrongful death. Nevertheless, Gov. Kathy Hochul must veto this bill. If she does not, patient access and continuity of care could be threatened, particularly in underserved communities where physicians and safety net hospitals are already financially stressed.

A recent actuarial study concluded that this bill would have liability insurance costs rise by nearly 40% for New York State’s doctors and hospitals.

New York already has by far the highest liability costs and insurance premiums in the country.

To preserve access to our health care safety net, the governor must bring together various parties to discuss the best way for such lawsuit expansion to be achieved responsibly.

— Dr. Parag Mehta, New Hyde Park

The writer is president of the Medical Society of the State of New York.