国产一福利

A legislative report recommends that the state create an emergency fund to help doctors pay their skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance premiums. The report for the Program Review and Investigations Committee proposed the fund instead of placing a cap on pain-and-suffering awards. The $3 million fund would be raised from fees assessed to doctors, hospitals and lawyers. The report also suggested more study of alternatives to malpractice lawsuits, such as dispute resolution and a no-fault approach to malpractice insurance. The staff recommendations could set the tone for debate in the next legislative session on controlling malpractice premiums. Ken Ferrucci, director of government relations for the Connecticut State Medical Society, said that caps on awards have reduced medical malpractice premium costs in states that have adopted them. He indicated that, while the medical society doesn’t object to a fund, there’s no evidence it would reduce premiums.

Topics Lawsuits