Maryland's Medmal Mess

WSJ REVIEW & OUTLOOK
December 21, 2004; Page A18

"It's hard to keep up with the states newly arriving at a medical
malpractice-insurance crisis. The latest one to do something about it is
Maryland, where the Republican governor, Robert Ehrlich, has just called a
special legislative session to deal with what he calls the "most important issue
in the state."

Congress hasn't been able to pass a medmal bill, but the problem is serious
enough that even traditionally liberal states such as Maryland are acting.

Maryland's malpractice insurance premiums are set to rise by an average of 33%
on January 1. The storyline is familiar: Premiums go up, doctors and other
health-care professionals shut down or ship out of the state, and everyone wakes
up one morning to discover that women can't find obstetricians to deliver babies
and car-accident victims have to go miles to find an emergency room willing to
treat them..."

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