Advocacy Correspondence: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, HAP Opposes Amendment A04598 of Senate Bill 730

October 16, 2026

Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives:

On behalf of more than 235 member hospitals and health systems, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) writes in strong opposition to Amendment A04598 offered to Senate Bill 730 (Yaw).

HAP and the hospital community have supported efforts to codify Pennsylvania Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) through multiple legislative sessions. HAP urges the House to pass SB 730 as approved by the Senate, without amendment.

Amendment A04598, offered late in the legislative process, will undermine the support it has built among Pennsylvania’s hospitals and health systems. The amendment would weaken liability protections for medical professionals and would be a poison pill for a bill the hospital community has long supported. HAP therefore urges lawmakers to oppose Amendment A04598 and any other changes that would compromise the bill, and to advance SB 730 in its Senate approved form.

Specifically, the amendment increases providers’ litigation exposure by:

• Narrowing protections for providers acting in good faith (by eliminating immunities in cases of gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct)
• Removing protection from criminal liability
• Placing providers at increased risk of liability for another person’s conduct.

Pennsylvania already faces significant medical liability pressures. The commonwealth has the nation’s highest medical liability payout per capita, at $43 per resident. In Philadelphia, average medical liability verdicts have more than tripled since the pandemic, rising from just under $3.5 million to more than $14 million. The amendment could further increase the risk of excessive and unpredictable verdicts, adding financial pressure on health care providers and the communities they serve.

Greater liability exposure could also increase hospital operating costs at a time when providers are working to meet rising demand and expenses. With as many as 12–14 Pennsylvania hospitals at risk of closure by 2030, lawmakers should avoid policies that could make it harder to sustain access to care. Increased litigation and insurance costs divert resources from patient care, workforce development, and expanded services.

Please oppose Amendment A04598 to SB 730 while supporting SB 730 as approved by the Senate. Thank you for your consideration and for your commitment to Pennsylvania’s hospitals and the patients and communities they serve.

Sincerely,

Arielle Chortanoff
Vice President, State Advocacy

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Topics: Medical Liability, State Advocacy

Revision Date: 10/16/2026

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