Gov. Bush Creates Medical Liability Task Force

Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced the creation of the Select Task Force on Healthcare Professional Liability Insurance to address the impact of skyrocketing liability insurance premiums on healthcare in Florida.

The task force will make recommendations to prevent a future rapid decline in accessibility and affordability of healthcare in Florida. The task force will be chaired by John C. Hitt, Ph.D., president of the University of Central Florida, and includes the following members: Marshall Criser, Jr., president Emeritus, University of Florida; Richard Beard, trustee, University of South Florida; Donna E. Shalala, president of the University of Miami; and Fred Gainous, president of Florida A & M University.

The governor’s office noted that statistics from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) show that healthcare liability insurance rates in Florida have increased an average of 30 percent in the past two years, and further increases are expected.

During the past three years, numerous healthcare liability insurance carriers in Florida have either been liquidated, forced into rehabilitation or have stopped selling professional liability insurance in Florida. The remaining companies are quickly reaching capacity and are unable to expand their risk base to cover physicians whose policies are being terminated by other carriers, potentially leaving some physicians with no coverage.

The task force will hear testimony from experts, consumers and a broad Range of stakeholders and interested parties from around the state. Following deliberation, the task force will submit a report of its recommendations and/or proposed legislation to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by Jan. 31, 2003.

This report will include:

• Findings from an examination of the Florida healthcare professional liability insurance market, pertinent tort laws, claims and premium data compared to other states of similar size and diversity;
• An assessment of the impact of the cost, accessibility and availability of healthcare professional liability insurance on the cost, accessibility and availability of high quality healthcare in this state; and
• Specific strategies to ease the healthcare liability insurance crisis faced by physicians and hospitals and other healthcare providers in the state.

The task force will exist until all of its objectives are achieved, but no later than June 30, 2003.

Topics Florida Professional Liability