Incoming Florida House Speaker Johnnie B. Byrd, Jr. announced the creation of a Medical Liability Insurance Workgroup to study the issue of rapidly rising medical liability insurance premiums in Florida.
According to the Florida Insurance Council, Byrd said he has asked the workgroup recommend the best way to ensure “that doctors are able to continue to provide the best care for their patients in the face of these rising premium costs.” He added that the state cannot tolerate an environment in which Florida doctors “will no longer treat patients because of the high cost of medical liability insurance.”
Speaker-Designate Byrd appointed the following members of the House to serve on the Workgroup: Rep. Dudley Goodlette, R-Naples, chair; Rep. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs; Rep. Donald Brown, R-DeFuniak Springs; Rep. Gaston Cantens, R-Sweetwater; Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Port St. Lucie; Rep. Carole Green, R-Fort Myers; Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach; Rep. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale; and Rep. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood.
Florida physicians report that insurance prices are rising 20-60 percent per year and studies show that Florida obstetricians pay the highest average premiums in the nation.
In the last eighteen months, three of Florida’s top ten medical malpractice carriers announced that they would no longer be doing business in Florida due to the high cost of claims and expenses in the state.
Nevada, Pennsylvania and Mississippi are among states already experiencing a lack of access to health care because of the high cost of medical liability insurance.
Topics Florida
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