Insurance - End of the Malpractice Crisis?
At a news conference on October 24th at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Governor Rendell called an end to the medical-malpractice crisis in Pennsylvania.
Improvements cited by the Governor include:
- Over the last five years, the state has spent $900 million on Mcare abatement, which lowers physician costs.
- Some doctors with high malpractice risk, such as neurosurgeons and obstetricians, have had their full Mcare bill abated.
- Because of changes in court rules, the number of malpractice claims filed in Pennsylvania has dropped significantly.
- Mcare claims have dropped 50 percent since the Governor took office.
- The state’s two largest private medical-malpractice insurers, PMSLIC and MedPro, have kept their premiums steady the last two years, and recently filed for rate decreases. PMSLIC’s average rates would fall 11 percent; and MedPro’s, 6 percent.
Use the player below to listen to audio from the news conference:
To read coverage of the press conference from The Philadelphia Inquirer, click here.