Georgia Ob-gyns hope new law brings relief from malpractice insurance increases

The House votes on Thursday on a bill that would cap jury awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases at $250,000; up to $750,000 if multiple defendants are liable.

From http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/le.../09legdocs.html:
 
The legislation has traveled a lightning-fast path. A House committee approved the caps last week, in the wake of earlier Senate passage of similar legislation. Consumer groups and trial lawyers say it would keep victims from being justly compensated and discourage attorneys from accepting cases.(...)

Because of rising premiums, some ob-gyns have given up delivering babies and offer only gynecological services. One large DeKalb County ob-gyn practice recently dissolved after its malpractice premiums doubled.(...)
A 2004 survey by the Georgia Obstetrical and Gynecological Society found 165 of the 1,100 ob-gyns in Georgia have stopped or will stop delivering babies or will leave their practices, measuring from 2002 to this year.(...)
Bainbridge ob-gyn Don Robinson and a partner stopped delivering babies a year ago. Their malpractice premiums were rising 30 percent a year, he says. "To see the income go to the insurance company, it was wearing us down for no reason,'' Robinson says. Some patients now drive 45 minutes to Thomasville and Donaldsonville to find an obstetrician, he says.
Robinson misses obstetrics. "Being an OB doctor, you really share intimacy with your patients,'' Robinson says. "They trust you; you develop a bond with them.''
The average premium for an ob-gyn in 2004 was $68,299, a 72 percent increase from 2000, according to MAG Mutual Insurance Co., which insures most physicians in Georgia. Yet that's not as large an increase as other specialties, such as radiologists.

This is a hugely important issue. Make sure to check out the whole (long) article.
 
It really is amazing to think that e.g. a radiologist will only get a few dollars per mammogram reading, when there is the potential in EACH case that he/she will get sued for millions for missing signs of breast cancer. Would you want to do that job?
 
Ob/gyns are in the same boat. Births have a relatively high inherent risk, and if something goes wrong - just for a few seconds - a baby can be damaged for life. Juries consist of everyday people, not medical professionals, and they tend to take side with the victims. Doctors have a profession where no misjudgement is allowed.
 
On the other hand, if your child goes blind through the careless mistake of your family doctor, is $250K enough for pain and suffering?
 
Any way this bill goes, you know that someone's life will be unfairly, adversely affected.

06:57 AM