Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights News Coverage of State Medical Malpractice Developments, USA

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Article Date: 21 May 2005 - 9:00 PDT

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The following summarizes news coverage of recent developments related to medical malpractice in Maryland and Washington, D.C.

• Maryland: Maryland Budget Secretary James DiPaula on Monday announced that he and Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) will approve a request from state Insurance Commissioner Alfred Redmer to release funds to help reduce malpractice insurance premiums for many physicians in the state, the AP/Washington Times reports. The state Legislature in January overrode an Ehrlich veto to approve a bill to provide $27 million to hold malpractice insurance premium rate increases for state physicians in high-risk specialties at 5%, rather than the 33% rate increase planned by the Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, which provides coverage for most physicians in the state. Ehrlich had sought "more substantial" medical liability reforms, and some state Democratic lawmakers said that his administration had delayed approval of the release of the funds "because of Mr. Ehrlich's discontentment with the Legislature's refusal to approve the bill he introduced," the AP/Times reports (Stuckey, AP/Washington Times, 5/17).
  
  
• Washington, D.C.: The district has lost about 60 OB/GYNs in the past two years because of increased malpractice insurance costs, according to the Medical Society of the District of Columbia, the Washington Times reports. National Capital Reciprocal Insurance, which provides malpractice insurance to most physicians in the district, said that annual premiums for many OB/GYNs increased from $122,323 last year to $139,528 this year. MSDC estimates that malpractice insurance premiums for OB/GYNs in the district will increase to $235,113 in 2010 (Redding, Washington Times, 5/14).

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