December 12, 2024 by matray

Below are some headlines and article synopses from the December 2024 issue of Medical Liability Monitor. To read the articles in their entirety, please subscribe today.

How the 2024 Elections Could Affect the MPL Insurance Industry
Elections have consequences. And with the 2024 U.S. election cycle in the American rearview mirror, industry leaders are doing their best to decipher what those consequences — good or bad — might be for their business. With unified Republican control of the executive and legislative branches of government, will the GOP agenda be able to tame the economic inflation — much less social inflation — that is challenging the medical professional liability industry’s claims and operations costs? Is the Holy Grail of passing federal damage caps finally a possibility? And what were the outcomes of key races for governorships and state legislatures, where most medical liability reforms are typically enacted? …

New Mexico Jury Awards Record $412 Million Medical Liability Verdict
A New Mexico jury awarded more than $412 million last month to a man in a medical malpractice case involving NuMale Medical, a national chain of men’s health clinics. According to the plaintiff’s attorneys, it is the largest amount ever awarded by a jury for a medical malpractice claim in the United States …

DWP, Investment Gains Offsetting Underwriting Difficulties for MPL Specialty Writers
Direct written premium and investment income continued to rise during the third quarter of 2024, insulating the industry from continued underwriting losses …

Report on Digital Health Services Highlights Insurance Coverage Gaps
Digital health services are rapidly augmenting how healthcare is delivered in the United States. A new white paper, 2024 Digital Health Insurance Report, shares insights from medical professional liability insurance agents surveyed about the risks associated with using digital health services and how their clients are contemplating insurance coverage for these exposures …

Michigan Supreme Court Asked to Weigh Constitutionality of Medical Liability Damage Caps
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan last month requested that the Michigan Supreme Court certify legal questions regarding the constitutionality of the state’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical liability lawsuits …

Iowa Supreme Court Reverses, Remands State’s Largest Medical Malpractice Verdict
The Iowa Supreme Court last month reversed and remanded a $97.4 million medical liability verdict from 2022 — the largest of its kind in state history — for a violation of the hearsay rule. This decision paves the way for a new trial …

Ambiguous Abortion Bans Fueling New ‘Hesitant Medicine’
Abortion bans are intended to reduce elective abortions, but they also affect the way physicians practice medicine. Key finding from a recently published article in the journal Social Science & Medicine finds that abortion bans with criminal penalties are driving the new phenomenon of “hesitant medicine,” where providers are forced to prioritize their own criminal legal risks over the well-being of their patients and hesitate to provide the treatment their patients require …

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