


D.C. Council Chairman Linda W. Cropp yesterday introduced a medical malpractice insurance reform bill that essentially kills legislation proposed by Mayor Anthony A. Williams.
Mrs. Cropp’s “Medical Malpractice Insurance Reform Amendment Act of 2005” focuses on changing insurance regulations to stem the rising malpractice premiums that doctors have said are driving them out of the city. The bill already has 10 co-sponsors in the 13-member council.
Mr. Williams’ plan would limit most jury payouts for pain and suffering in malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 against physicians and to $500,000 against hospitals. The legislation has no co-sponsors and was killed in the council last year.
“I don’t think his plan will resolve the issues of medical malpractice in the District of Columbia,” Mrs. Cropp, at-large Democrat, told The Washington Times last week. “If you look at the District of Columbia, I think it is more of an insurance problem.”
She is urging member David A. Catania, at-large independent, to consider her legislation in his task force on the issue.
Mrs. Cropp’s bill would:
Require the insurance commissioner to approve proposed rate increases exceeding a certain percentage.
Authorize the commissioner to consider an insurer’s surplus in rate-making, if the surplus is “unreasonably large.”
Authorize refunds to physicians who have paid “excessive” premiums.
Allow doctors and consumers to challenge rate increases.
Allow doctors to obtain rate quotes from multiple insurers.
Williams spokesman Vincent Morris yesterday said the Cropp bill shows the amount of influence trial lawyers have over the council.
“We are very concerned,” he said. “The mayor is believes very strongly that in order to have meaningful medical-malpractice reform you need some caps on punitive damages, and the mayor still believes there should not be a cap on economic damages.”
John H. Niles Jr., chairman of the Medical Society of the District of Columbia’s Medical Liability Reform Task Force said he hopes the council combines the best of the two plans, including Mr. Williams’ provisions for patient safety and a shorter statute of limitations.
“I don’t think what Mrs. Cropp is recommending should stand alone,” he said.
View Entire StoryBy Timothy Stanley
Pat's suspension completes liberal network's divorce from reality

By Guy Taylor - The Washington Times
U.S. and European leaders expressed optimism Friday that direct talks with Iran about its nuclear ...

By Susan Crabtree - The Washington Times
Six members of the House Ethics Committee including its chairman have recused themselves from any ...

By Dave Boyer - The Washington Times
President Obama purchased lunch at a San Francisco restaurant that serves shark fin soup, after ...
Independent voices from the TWT Communities

Chef Mary Moran discusses the food we eat, where it comes from and what it does for us.

The Red Thread is written for that special tribe: adoptive families and those who hope to be.

We’re human: we don’t always think things through, so we accept many ideas that are, well, ideas that are wrong. We also look past certain truths without recognizing them.