Doctors took aim at wrong target

22.02.12

Doctors took aim at wrong target

Last Wednesday, a group of Mahoning Valley physicians led a discussion with news media regarding the status of insurance premiums in Trumbull County. It is true that they deserve an explanation for why malpractice insurance premiums are what they are. Physicians and the general public are entitled to know why no one is reaping the benefits of tort reform.

In a nutshell, it is that we never needed tort reform, we needed insurance reform.

If it is true that medical malpractice liability premiums have increased in the Mahoning Valley despite the precipitous drop in medical malpractice claims against doctors, then the grievance should be directed toward the insurance companies in Ohio.

Medical liability claims have dropped by 40 percent in the last eight years, and doctors’ insurance premiums have dropped by 22 percent statewide, according to the Ohio State Medical Association. This same organization, in a 2010 newsletter to its members, bragged that tort reform in Ohio had been a “great success.” Indeed, from the reported data, one would believe that Ohio has one of the most favorable liability insurance climates in the country. Victims of medical malpractice in Ohio have some of the highest obstacles in the country toward seeking recovery for their injuries. A qualified doctor must “sign-off” that medical malpractice has been committed before a lawsuit can even be filed. The Ohio Legislature passed laws reducing the damage a victim of medical malpractice can recover and shortened the time limit they have to bring a lawsuit, foreclosing many from even considering bringing suit. So it is proper to ask of the insurance industry, “Just why are your premiums so high?”

Source: Youngstown Vindicator