[20200701]LSB10508_2019冠状病毒疾病和卫生保健部门的责任限制.pdf

CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Legal SidebarLegal Sidebari i COVID-19 and Liability Limitations for the Health Care Sector July 1, 2020 The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required health care professionals and facilities to care for a surge of patients with COVID-19 symptoms. This is occurring in a health care environment where the treatment guidelines specific to COVID-19 are still evolving and where some health care facilities are experiencing various resource shortages related to their pandemic response, including shortages in staffing as well as certain protective and treatment equipment. For some health care facilities, these shortages have also caused the delay or cancelation of non-COVID-19 treatments or procedures. V arious commentators and policymakers have recognized that these conditions may generate certain liability risks for the health care sector, including risks resulting from unsuccessful COVID-19 treatments, potential COVID-19 transmission, and canceled or delayed non-COVID-19 treatments. These risks have prompted a debate over whether the government should grant certain liability limitations to the heal