It Figures

2.1 Million

More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs from Stork Craft Manufacturing of Canada are being recalled following reports of four infant suffocations, in the largest ever recall of cribs by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sales of the cribs being recalled go back to 1993 and nearly 150,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher-Price logo. CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum conceded the agency “hasn’t been acting as quickly as it should” on crib safety problems. The drop-side cribs have a side that moves up and down to allow parents to lift children from the cribs more easily. The CPSC said there have been 110 incidents of drop-sides detaching from the cribs.

54%

Most Americans believe malpractice lawsuits drive up the cost of medical care, according to an Associated Press poll, which found that 54 percent favor making it harder to sue doctors and hospitals for mistakes taking care of patients, while 32 percent are opposed. The rest are undecided or don’t know. Support for limits on malpractice lawsuits cuts across political lines, with 58 percent of independents and 61 percent of Republicans in favor. Democrats are more divided. Still, 47 percent said they favor making it harder to sue, while 37 percent are opposed. The survey was conducted by Stanford University with the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Limits on jury awards in malpractice cases could reduce the federal deficit by $54 billion over 10 years, says the Congressional Budget Office.

$75 Million

More than 300,000 current and former policyholders of General American Life Insurance Co. will share $75 million in distribution payments, according to the Missouri Department of Insurance. In 1999, the Missouri DOI placed General American’s parent company, General American Mutual Holding Co., into receivership. This is the fourth distribution to policyholders since then.

22%

A new survey finds Wisconsinites pay more for health insurance than the rest of the country and the cost is rising at a faster rate. The consulting firm Mercer finds employers and their workers in Wisconsin paid an average of nearly $11,000 per employee for health insurance in 2009. That’s nearly 22 percent above the national average of about $8,900. Mercer surveyed more than 2,900 employers, including 88 in Wisconsin.