Declarations

Mass. Med Mal Concerns

“A shift in the Massachusetts medical professional liability insurance environment requires we make appropriate rate revisions to ensure our policyholders are adequately protected.”

—Denise Funk, CEO of Connecticut-based medical professional liability insurer CMIC, which said it plans to raise premiums for Massachusetts doctors by an average 5.3 percent next month.

Highway Safety Records

“These numbers reflect the tangible benefits of record seat belt use and strong anti-drunk driving enforcement campaigns. But we are still losing more than 30,000 lives a year on our highways, and about a third of these involve drunk driving.”

—David Strickland, administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which said the 33,808 traffic deaths recorded last year were the lowest annual total since 1950. On a per-mile basis, highway deaths were the lowest ever recorded. It was the tenth straight year of declines.

Workers’ Comp Costs Growing

“The growth in medical spending may reflect both higher prices for medical care and greater use of services. The increase is the continuation of a long-term trend since 1980, but this is the first year that payments for medical care were more than half of all workers’ compensation benefits.”

—John F. Burton, Jr., of the National Academy of Social Insurance, which released a new report this months showing workers’ comp payments for medical care and cash benefits increased 4.4 percent in 2008, totaling some $57.6 billion. Medical benefits accounted for 50.4 percent of all benefits paid in 2008, approximately $29.1 billion. Wage replacement benefits for injured workers were $28.6 billion.

Topics Workers' Compensation