Trial lawyers ask for CT medmal rate cut

Doctors, trial lawyers are your friends! Well...maybe not. But at least this time, a group of trial lawyers have embarked upon a doctor-friendly cause, that of lowering medical malpractice costs. The Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association has asked the state insurance commissioner to take a close look at premiums charged by the Connecticut Medical Insurance Company, arguing that the insurer is charging too much given its profits and reserves. The insurance firm made a $12.5 million profit in 2005, up from $7.6 million in 2004. Given these profits, and the size of its surplus, the insurer should roll back premiums as much as 10 percent, according to the Association, which hired an actuary to analyze the medmal firm's finances. So why would the trial lawyers bother to take on a physician's cause? For one thing, they don't want to see doctors unable to pay for the insurance which funds their fees. Also, they don't want to see high premiums trotted out as a justification for caps on pain and suffering awards in trials, according to a story in the Hartford Courant. The insurance commissioner is considering the request for review, but no action has been taken yet.

For more about the medmal situation:
- read the article in the Hartford Courant

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