Montana governor vetoes changes to statute of limitations for malpractice

Helena, Mont.

— Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer vetoed an attempt by Montana lawmakers to reduce the statute of limitations on medical malpractice claims.

House Bill 408 argued that Montana is faced with a shortage of healthcare providers, including veterinarians, and that costs to practice medicine are skyrocketing due to malpractice insurance. Many neighboring states have statutes of limitations of two years or less, according to the legislation, compared to Montana’s three years. The bill would have reduced Montana’s statute of limitations from three years to two years.

Schweitzer vetoed the bill May 6, saying that he didn’t believe the bill would help attract any more healthcare providers and that medical malpractice claims should share the state’s same statute of limitations as tort claims, which is three years.