Senate Bill No. 209, introduced by Senator Hodges, amends existing Louisiana civil procedure laws regarding recoverable damages and medical expenses for personal injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents. The bill specifically addresses situations where a claimant does not have health insurance coverage. In such cases, the claimant's recovery of medical expenses is limited to the amounts paid to medical providers on their behalf, along with additional amounts representing 120% of the Medicare reimbursement rate or 170% of the applicable state Medicaid rate for both past and future medical treatments. This new provision aims to clarify the limitations on recoverable medical expenses and ensure that claimants receive fair compensation for their medical costs.

Additionally, the bill retains existing provisions that limit recoverable past medical expenses to amounts actually paid by health insurance issuers, Medicare, or Medicaid, while also establishing that the jury in a trial will only be informed of the amount billed by medical providers, without disclosing any payments made by third parties. The proposed law will have a prospective application, meaning it will only apply to causes of action filed after its effective date of August 1, 2025. Overall, this legislation seeks to streamline the process for determining recoverable medical expenses in personal injury cases related to motor vehicle accidents.

Statutes affected:
SB209 Original: