Scored 2/10 on whether it helps or hurts everyday people.
The Medical Payouts Bill
Caps medical payouts for injured people to help at-fault parties
Calculating Medical Expenses for Damage Awards
Bad for everyday people ·
If you get hurt and sue, this bill lets the person who injured you pay less by using your health insurance discounts against you.
Our take
What we think, in plain words.
This bill punishes injured people for having health insurance. Right now, if someone hurts you, they are supposed to pay for the full cost of your medical care. This bill changes the rules so the person who hurt you only has to pay the discounted rate your health insurance negotiated. You paid the premiums for your insurance, but the person who injured you gets the discount. It also puts strict caps on what uninsured people can claim, heavily favoring insurance companies and big businesses that get sued.
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The facts
What the bill actually says, no spin.
- Forces courts to use the discounted rate health insurance pays, not the actual medical bill, to calculate damages.
- Limits medical claims for uninsured people to 120 percent of Medicare rates or 170 percent of Medicaid rates.
- Overturns the 'collateral source rule,' a long-standing legal protection for injured people.
- Forces injured people to disclose if their lawyer referred them to a doctor, allowing the defense to claim the doctor is biased.
In the news
Scanning the news for this bill…
Headlines gathered from across the news, starting points to explore, not endorsements. Always read the official text before acting.
Sources
Read it yourself: the official bill and records.
This bill is in the South Carolina Bill Book 2026
The best and worst South Carolina bills of 2026, one page each — our take on the left, the bill on the right, and room for your notes. No email needed.
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