(3/30/2004) - The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the N.J. Senate yesterday passed a bill establishing a subsidy for insurance premiums for doctors in high-risk fields. According to the Inquirer, the bill would establish a three-year, $78 million subsidy to help obstetricians, neurosurgeons and other specialists. The bill must return to the Assembly in May for approval of an amendment before Gov. McGreevey can sign it, according to the Inquirer.

The legislation does not include limits on jury awards for pain and suffering, but it does allow judges to alter malpractice awards, according to the Inquirer. In addition, expert doctors testifying against physicians in malpractice cases would have to be licensed in the defendant’s medical field. Also, the statute of limitations for birth-related cases would be set at age 13 instead of 20, according to the Inquirer.

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