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GAO Reports Look at Med-Mal Insurance Crisis

By Janice G. Inman
September 01, 2003

In the last 2 months, the General Accounting Office (GAO) issued two reports detailing the findings of its studies into the medical malpractice insurance crisis and its effects on medical care. The studies were conducted at the request of Congress, which wanted to learn what the root causes of the rising medical malpractice insurance premiums were and what effects these rising costs were having on the public's access to health care. With this information, it intends to consider legislation similar to some states' tort reform laws.

The July Report – Why Are Premiums Rising?

In July, the GAO released a report that attempts to decipher the causes of the current nationwide medical-malpractice insurance crisis. The 67-page report tracked trends in only seven states and came up with no definitive answers to the question of why medical insurance premiums have reached such high plateaus in recent years. Part of the problem for the study was that insurance companies would not release details of their payments on claims. Without this information, it was difficult if not impossible to tell if the rise in insurance premiums should be attributed to attempts by insurance companies to recoup losses on investments, an increase in the number of claims made or to rising jury awards.

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