Malpractice; Doctors, PA Reps Declare 'A Crisis'
Sunday News (Lancaster, PA)
December 8, 2002

Dr. Chris Kager chose to start his career as a neurosurgeon in Lancaster so his wife could be close to her family. He joined Lancaster Neuroscience and Spine Associates hoping to create a nice future for himself and his family.

That dream may only last a short while longer than the 18 months he has been here.

Kager and the rest of the doctors in the practice are facing the loss of their medical malpractice insurance Jan. 1, and after a "very passionate" meeting last week with state legislators at Lancaster General Hospital, Kager said he doesn't feel that a solution to the growing crisis will be found anytime soon.

Legislators said the physicians attending the meeting were obviously passionate about finding a solution to the skyrocketing rates facing them. Physicians said, for the most part, legislators honestly seemed to want to help find a solution to the problem, but maintained a solution would be difficult to come by.

Capping insurance awards is not constitutional in Pennsylvania and not at all popular with voters.

. . .

Americans for Insurance Reform, a coalition of nearly 100 consumer groups around the country, said in a recently published report that insurance premiums rise and fall in conjunction with the state of the economy. They say jury payouts have nothing to do with insurance premiums, so capping jury awards would do nothing to halt the problem.

For a copy of the complete article, contact AIR.