What will bring down medical malpractice insurance costs?
(Feb. 11, 2005) With employers and employees alike in Connecticut clamoring for relief from double-digit hikes in their health benefit costs, CBIA supports reining in high jury awards in medical malpractice cases – found by the legislature’s Program Review and Investigations Committee to be significant contributors to those rising costs. However, with incremental improvements to the state’s medical malpractice system more likely to be approved by this year’s General Assembly, CBIA testified this week before the Insurance Committee in support of concepts contained in SB-131, as well as in favor of HB-6131, which would cap awards. Among the provisions of SB-131 are indirect approaches for improving the medical liability system, including: • imposing mandatory mediation between the parties involved in malpractice cases; • tightening of Connecticut’s contingency-fee statute to ensure that plaintiffs – not their attorneys – are the primary beneficiaries of damage awards; • revamping Connect
