Doctors’ Groups Warn of Higher Medical Costs as States Move To Ease Restrictions on Some Malpractice Suits

Lawmakers in several states are pushing to give Americans more time to sue medical professionals for alleged injuries, sparking fears among health care advocates that the costs of insurance will skyrocket.This week, lawmakers in Colorado’s House Judiciary Committee voted 7-2 to advance a bill that would remove the statute of limitations for legal action against licensed health care providers who conducted so-called conversion therapy, aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation.Other states have mulled changes to the statute of limitations for medical professionals, arguing the current laws are outdated. The push to extend the period of time when people can file lawsuits is raising concerns from medical associations that the bills could drastically drive up the cost of health care.Colorado has banned conversion therapy — which the state describes as “efforts to change an individual’s sexual orientation, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attraction or feelings toward individuals of the same sex” — for minors.The bill would let a resident sue the mental health professional who conducted the therapy at any time after it occurred — even decades later. It would also let them sue anyone who hired the therapist. The state representative who sponsored the bill, Alex Valez, told reporters, “What the bill does is make sure that existing pathways to accountability are more accessible, and it matters because of how this harm shows up and when it shows up in life.”Supporters of the bill argue that lifting the statute of limitations, which is currently set at two years, would give recipients more time to process what they say is the harm caused by such therapy sessions. The political director of an LGBTQ advocacy organization, One Colorado, noted that Colorado is still awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court in the case Chiles v. Salazar, which will determine whether the ban on conversion therapy is legal. Jax Gonzalez told Colorado Newsline, “This bill is designed to stand independently of that case, using a traditional civil liability framework to ensure accountability for licensed professionals who cause harm.”Opponents of the law say Colorado is seeking to punish speech that it disagrees with. The firm that brought the lawsuit against Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy, Alliance Defending Freedom, argues that the state is falsely focusing on shock therapy when it talks about “conversion therapy,” while failing to provide evidence that talk therapy — which its client engages in — causes harm. Colleen Enos, of Christian Home Educators of Colorado, told lawmakers before the vote that the bill would punish licensed professionals for offering counseling that aligns with clients’ “sincerely held religious beliefs.”Also this week, Tennessee’s Senate passed a bill that would let residents sue health care providers who administered gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers or surgeries, up to 30 years later if the procedures were performed “due to an act of coercion by the health care professional.”Members of Virginia’s House of Delegates also considered a bill that would have doubled the payment caps from roughly $3 million to $6 million for plaintiffs who win medical malpractice lawsuits. It would also have increased the statute of limitations from two to four years, or 10 years in some circumstances.The sponsor of the bill, a state senator, Mark Obenshain, told lawmakers that the bill “is for patients, families, people who have suffered.”“And you know, we just want to make sure that they are fairly treated,” he said. Lawmakers in Virginia later removed the provision that extended the statute of limitations. In 2024, Louisiana passed a law that bans gender-affirming care for minors, which lets a plaintiff sue over the procedures up to 12 years after becoming an adult. And in September 2025, the Department of Justice proposed federal legislation that would let parents and their children sue medical professionals up to two decades later over transgender procedures. Health care associations are warning that opening the door for decades-old lawsuits will increase risks and costs for insurance companies and lead to high premiums.A physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, the Doctors Company, also warns that increasing or eliminating the statute of limitations will lead to a wave of lawsuits.The American Tort Reform Association, ATRA, says that increasing liability for doctors will only make healthcare more expensive, as insurers will reprice risks or leave the market, driving up premiums.“When malpractice coverage becomes unaffordable, patient care changes. Physicians will reduce exposure by avoiding high‑risk patients and procedures, [or] relocate away from rural areas and urban safety‑net communities,” the ATRA says.

Doctors’ Groups Warn of Higher Medical Costs as States Move To Ease Restrictions on Some Malpractice Suits

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