What is MICRA?
MICRA, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act, is the establishment of a series of statutes passed by the legislature in 1975. MICRA provides that evidence may be presented in a medical injury case to establish the existence of collateral source payments thereby preventing the plaintiff from receiving a double recovery for his claim. A $250,000 cap was placed on a plaintiff’s recovery for “non-economic” damages. MICRA also allowed for the periodic payment of damage awards over $50,000, and gave health care providers and patients the authority to contract for binding arbitration to settle disputes. MICRA tightened the statute of limitations on medical injury claims.
