Changes could reduce liability insurance costs for businesses and commercial property owners. The evidence is mixed on whether it would drive large premium reductions for car and other types of insurance. And some researchers say efforts limiting lawsuits, often called tort reform, fattens insurers' profits more than it cuts the price of policies.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday reiterated his simple pitch for lawsuit limits: They’ll halt rising insurance costs. The reality, though, is more complicated.