Section 3333.2 of California's civil code offers a level of specificity not seen in many parts of the state's laws, a fact that's been debated for months behind closed doors in the Capitol… and now poised to spark an expensive political war in 2014.

The law in question, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975 (MICRA), limits malpractice lawsuit awards for pain and suffering to $250,000.