# Noneconomic damages · Iowa — Medical malpractice noneconomic damages caps by state

For Noneconomic damages · Iowa, state is Iowa; type of cap is Noneconomic damages; cap amount is two hundred fifty thousand dollars unless the jury determines that there is a substantial or permanent loss or impairment of a bodily function, substantial disfigurement, loss of pregnancy, or death, which warrants a finding that imposition of such a limitation would deprive the plaintiff of just compensation for the injuries sustained, in which case the amount recoverable shall not exceed one million dollars, or two million dollars if the civil action includes a hospital as defined in section 135B.1; inflation adjustment is shall increase by two and one-tenth percent on January 1, 2028, and each January 1 thereafter; constitutional status is In force, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.

- **State:** Iowa _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Type of cap:** Noneconomic damages _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Cap amount:** two hundred fifty thousand dollars unless the jury determines that there is a substantial or permanent loss or impairment of a bodily function, substantial disfigurement, loss of pregnancy, or death, which warrants a finding that imposition of such a limitation would deprive the plaintiff of just compensation for the injuries sustained, in which case the amount recoverable shall not exceed one million dollars, or two million dollars if the civil action includes a hospital as defined in section 135B.1 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Inflation adjustment:** shall increase by two and one-tenth percent on January 1, 2028, and each January 1 thereafter _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_
- **Constitutional status:** In force _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Statutory citation:** Iowa Code 2026, Section 147.136A _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_

## What the source says

> Subject to subsection 4, the total amount recoverable in any civil action for noneconomic damages for personal injury or death, whether in tort, contract, or otherwise, against a health care provider for any occurrence resulting in injury or death of a patient regardless of the number of plaintiffs, derivative claims, theories of liability, or defendants in the civil action, shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars unless the jury determines that there is a substantial or permanent loss or impairment of a bodily function, substantial disfigurement, loss of pregnancy, or death, which warrants a finding that imposition of such a limitation would deprive the plaintiff of just compensation for the injuries sustained, in which case the amount recoverable shall not exceed one million dollars, or two million dollars if the civil action includes a hospital as defined in section 135B.1.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Inflation adjustment

> The limitations on damages contained in subsection 2 shall increase by two and one-tenth percent on January 1, 2028, and each January 1 thereafter. In any civil action described in this section, such limitations on damages shall be the amount effective at the time of the occurrence.

### Statutory citation

> Iowa Code 2026, Section 147.136A

## Source

- https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/147.136A.pdf

Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-02-27.
Part of [Medical malpractice noneconomic damages caps by state](https://referencesource.org/state-medical-malpractice-damages-caps/).