AUSTIN - A controversial amendment to the state's constitution was supposed to lower medical malpractice insurance costs for doctors, but few have seen their rates go down in the four months since voters narrowly approved it. The state's largest malpractice insurer, the Texas Medical Liability Trust, has lowered rates 12 percent for about 11,000 of the state's 38,000 doctors. Other companies are either holding rates steady or have requested rate increases as high as 35 percent from the state Department of Insurance. Supporters of Proposition 12, which placed a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damage awards such as pain and suffering in medical lawsuits, say it's too early to judge the law.
Posted by Editor at January 24, 2004 03:37 PM