Saturday, May 17, 2008
Rodwin et al. on Malpractice Insurance Premiums
Professor Michael Rustad (Suffolk) passes on a study entitled Malpractice Premiums in Massachusetts, A High-Risk State: 1975 to 2005, performed by his colleague Professor Marc Rodwin and several co-authors. Here is the abstract:
Massachusetts has the fourth-highest median malpractice settlement payments for all states. The American Medical Association (AMA) declares it a crisis state. As a test case, we analyzed its premiums from 1975 to 2005. In 2005 mean premiums were $17,810 for the coverage level and policy type most frequently purchased. Most physicians paid lower inflation-adjusted premiums in 2005 than in 1990. Mean premiums increased in only three specialties comprising 4 percent of physicians: obstetrics, neurology, and orthopedists--spinal surgery. However, because of discounts and surcharges, in 2005 premiums within the three highest-risk specialties varied nearly threefold, and nearly one-third paid less than in 1990.
The full article, which is sure to be hotly discussed, is available (in pdf) here:
Download rodwin_malpractice_premiums_in_mass_a_high_risk_state_197520051.pdf
--CJR
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/tortsprof/2008/05/rodwin-et-al-on.html