McKinley Andrew
Issue Brief Health Policy Track Serv. 2005 Dec 31:1-19.
As health care professionals continue to feel the crunch of rising malpractice insurance rates and increased jury awards, medical malpractice remains a priority for acute care professionals. Medical associations claim that rapidly increasing premiums and the declining number of insurers often lead physicians to stop practicing medicine or to relocate. This may lead to a shortage of physicians, particularly physicians who practice high-risk specialties such as neurology. The pressure to retain an adequate supply of health care professionals is particularly acute in rural areas. It is difficult to pinpoint the origins of the escalating cost of medical malpractice coverage. Insurers and physicians claim excessive litigation and overly generous jury awards have hardened the market. Trial lawyers and consumer advocacy groups assert insurance premium rates have not reflected increasing medical inflation or the payouts of jury awards during the last 30 years. The majority of states have some form of basic coverage requirement that medical malpractice insurers must offer. However, because of the complexities and variety of coverage plans, physicians often are unaware that gaps in coverage exist. As of May 2005, the American Medical Association (AMA) has declared a state
随着医疗保健专业人员持续感受到医疗事故保险费率不断上涨和陪审团裁决金额增加的压力，医疗事故问题仍然是急症护理专业人员的首要关注事项。医学协会称，保费迅速上涨以及保险公司数量减少，常常导致医生停止行医或搬迁。这可能会导致医生短缺，尤其是从事神经学等高风险专业的医生。在农村地区，维持充足医疗保健专业人员供应的压力尤为严峻。很难确切指出医疗事故保险费用不断攀升的根源。保险公司和医生称，过度诉讼和陪审团过于慷慨的裁决使市场变得强硬。审判律师和消费者权益倡导组织则断言，在过去30年里，保险费率并未反映出医疗通胀的上升或陪审团裁决的赔付情况。大多数州都有某种形式的基本保险要求，医疗事故保险公司必须提供此类保险。然而，由于保险计划的复杂性和多样性，医生常常并未意识到保险存在缺口。截至2005年5月，美国医学协会（AMA）已宣布进入一个……（原文此处不完整）
