AMC/NOMA contacts Governor Taft regarding malpractice insurance crisis

CLEVELAND – The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland/Northern Ohio Medical Association was recently notified that yet another carrier has ceased to accept new business and will not be renewing existing policies as of this past October 1. Prior, two other carriers stated the same intentions, a third was taken over by the Pennsylvania Commissioner of Insurance and a fourth declared bankruptcy. Such trends in Ohio’s malpractice insurance industry are showing carriers leaving this market at an alarming rate.

Practicing physicians in the state of Ohio are required to carry malpractice insurance and cannot receive hospital privileges without it. 2001 has seen rates climb 25 to 50% and, due to the events of September 11, further increases are anticipated. Substantial losses are expected by the insurance industry resulting from countless related claims. We are concerned that physicians will be forced to leave the practice of medicine due to the rising costs of coverage.

Several contiguous states have begun to address this impending medical malpractice crisis. The AMC/NOMA aims to alleviate this situation through legislative efforts in the coming year 2002.

(The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland/Northern Ohio Medical Association is Cuyahoga County’s local professional medical society. As a credible resource, the AMC/NOMA is recognized as a reliable bridge used to move vital information of interest to the Greater Cleveland community.)

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