February 14, 2025 by matray

MagMutual Insurance Co. announced a 2.5% dividend return to its policy owners for this year.

With this latest declaration, MagMutual now has awarded 26 years of dividends throughout its company history. During that time, the company has returned $468 million in financial rewards to policyholders since inception, including $167 million paid over the past five years.

“Our impressive record of continuously paying dividends year-over-year is one of the many ways we put our policyholders first,” said William S. Kanich, MD, JD, executive chairperson of MagMutual. “This year marks our 18th consecutive year of dividends and 26th year overall. I’m proud that MagMutual continues to return dividends to the healthcare providers who trust us to protect them.”

”MagMutual demonstrates a high rate of financial strength and growth in our industry. This strength has allowed us to dependably declare dividends for the past 18 years,” said Neil Morrell, chief executive officer of MagMutual. “Our record of supporting policyholders with innovative insurance solutions, risk management services and financial rewards continues to be unmatched.”

February 12, 2025 by matray

LAMMICO was named one of the "Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" in the Nation for 2024 by the National Association for Business Resources. The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For identifies and honors companies that deliver exceptional employment practices and demonstrate an impressive commitment to their employees. An independent research firm assessed the winners, based on categories such as work-life blend, community initiatives and corporate responsibility, employee education and development, diversity, retention and more. This honor marks the tenth time that LAMMICO has received the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation designation since 2015.

“Receiving this designation demonstrates the strengths and talents of the team here at LAMMICO. I am thrilled that the Company and its employees are being honored for all that we do for our customers, communities and each other,” said J. Michael Conerly, MD, LAMMICO president and chief executive officer. “We work together toward our shared purpose of protecting those who care for others, and this award celebrates our efforts and achievements.”

LAMMICO is headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana, and has offices in Baton Rouge and Shreveport.

February 7, 2025 by matray

Below are some headlines and article synopses from the February 2025 issue of Medical Liability Monitor. To read the articles in their entirety, please subscribe today.

Oregon Supreme Court to Determine MPL Limits in Non-Patient’s Death
The Oregon Supreme Court last month heard oral arguments in a case seeking to define the limits of medical professional liability in situations involving non-patient third parties. The case, Stone v. Witt, involves Shantel Witt, who, while impaired by prescribed medication, crashed her car into bicyclist Marika Stone. Witt was subsequently convicted of first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence of intoxicants, unlawful possession of oxycodone and unlawful possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance. She was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison. In addition to suing Witt for civil damages, Stone’s estate filed medical negligence claims against Nancy Brennan, DO, and her employer St. Charles Health System, Inc.; Kevin Rueter, MD, and his employer High Desert Personal Medicine, LLC; and Walgreen Co., doing business as Walgreens Pharmacy …

California AG Issues Advisory on use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a legal advisory last month to healthcare entities that develop, sell or use artificial intelligence (AI) regarding their obligations under California law. The advisory — Application of Existing California Law to Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare — provides specific guidance for healthcare providers, insurers, vendors, investors and other entities involved in the development, sale and use of AI and automated decision-making systems …

New Mexico Leaders Push for MedMal Reform to Address Physician Shortage
The Democratic governor of New Mexico and the state’s House Republican caucus independently announced last month that addressing medical professional liability costs to attract more healthcare workers to the state would be a priority during the 2025 legislative session. Healthcare workers were identified as the top occupational need in 28 of New Mexico’s 33 counties, according to the most recent data …

Georgia Gov. Kemp Names Tort Reform Top Priority, Threatens to Call Special Session If General Assembly Fails to Act
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp used his recent State of the State Address to declare tort reform his top legislative priority for the year, warning lawmakers that he would call a special session if they failed to pass legislation curbing the rising costs of civil liability awards. While Gov. Kemp’s office had yet to release specific policy proposals by press time, the insurance commissioner’s report resulting from the Data Analysis for Tort Reform Act — which the governor referenced in his address — provides insight into how the General Assembly might proceed …

Massachusetts High Court Rejects Appeal on ‘High-Low’ Agreement Bias
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last month upheld a trial judge’s decision to deny a medical malpractice defendant’s request to cross-examine witnesses about a “high-low” settlement agreement reached by two other defendants. High-low agreements set minimum and maximum amounts a defendant will pay the plaintiff prior to the jury rendering a verdict …

Federal Agencies Warn of Private Equity’s Increasing Role in Healthcare
The Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice and Department of Health & Human Services published a joint report last month detailing concerns about the “new and unique” risks associated with the increasing role of private equity in healthcare delivery. The report, titled “Consolidation in Healthcare Markets Request for Information,” urges the U.S. Congress and state lawmakers to implement stricter oversight, including lowering the financial threshold for reporting mergers and expanding transparency rules for ownership structures in healthcare facilities …

Women, Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnoses
An estimated 795,000 patients a year die or are permanently disabled because of misdiagnosis. Some patients are at higher risk than others. Women and racial / ethnic minorities are 20% to 30% more likely than white men to experience a misdiagnosis …

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January 31, 2025 by matray

January 30, 2025 by matray

AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “aa-” (Superior) of MLMIC Insurance Company (MLMIC) (Albany, NY). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect MLMIC’s balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings benefit from the financial support provided by MLMIC’s direct parent company, National Indemnity Company (NICO), which is ultimately owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

MLMIC has a long track record of favorable reserve development and adequate underwriting returns. In the past six years, the company’s net operating results have been skewed by the 100% loss portfolio transfer (LPT) and 85% quota share agreements with NICO, which were executed in 2018. As a result, favorable reserve development related to prior accident years covered by the LPT (for all business written prior to the acquisition by NICO in 2018) no longer benefits MLMIC’s underwriting results. The pace of favorable reserve development was likely further slowed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the New York court system, which reduced the speed with which claims were closed and delayed the recognition of possible favorable reserve development on more recent accident years that are not covered under the LPT. As a result, the company’s net underwriting results in the past six years have not yet benefited from the same degree of reserve releases seen in previous years. However, gross underwriting results remain in line with historical trends and support the current operating performance assessment of adequate. Over time, AM Best expects that MLMIC’s calendar-year underwriting results will continue to improve and approximate the company’s historically stronger results.

MLMIC’s insurance portfolio is concentrated in the medical professional liability (MPL) line of business. The company underwrites risks only within New York, which is one of the nation’s most challenging and litigious markets for MPL. As a mitigating factor, management has been able to operate successfully through underwriting cycles while maintaining MLMIC’s leading market position within New York. In addition, risk management capabilities have proven appropriate for the company’s risk profile.

January 15, 2025 by matray

RedRay MGA Pte. Ltd. (RedRay), a Managing General Agent (MGA), announced its appointment as the exclusive underwriting agent for Everest International Reinsurance Limited, Singapore Branch (EIS) for Medical Malpractice Liability Insurance and associated coverages in Asia.

EIS has obtained the relevant regulatory approval to appoint RedRay as its underwriting agent to quote and bind policies specific to clients in the healthcare sector. RedRay is now EIS’ first exclusive healthcare MGA in Asia.

RedRay’s healthcare MGA caters to a broad spectrum of clients – from medical and allied health practitioner organizations to complex institutions such as Acute Hospitals, Teaching Hospitals, Clinics & Surgeries, Aged Care, Assisted Living and other specialty facilities. Healthcare clients can also avail themselves to customized packaged commercial insurance coverage across several lines to help save on their overall insurance expenditure.

On RedRay’s appointment, Tomi Latva-Kiskola, Everest’s regional head of insurance Asia said, “Our partnership with RedRay stems from our strategic alignment to target and grow in the fast-expanding healthcare sector. RedRay’s deep understanding of the unique exposures and expertise in this sector make it an ideal partner to expand our capabilities in Asia.”

The region is primed for rapid healthcare change driven by shifting demographics, rising consumer expectations, technological innovations and limited legacy health infrastructure. The increasing demand for health services for an ageing population, the manpower training to achieve adequate doctor-patient ratios, infrastructure upgrades and digital health disruptions, are driving many governments in Asia to increase their investment in healthcare.

Christopher Rummery, RedRay MGA’s CEO said, “We are delighted and humbled by our appointment to be EIS’ exclusive healthcare MGA. Building capacity with partners in rapidly growing sectors of the marketplace lies at the heart of our business. We complement insurance companies like EIS, which have growth ambitions in specialty lines of business, as they can quickly and efficiently tap into our entrepreneurial mindset, robust products and geographical expertise.”

Kamal Hamzah, head of healthcare and liability at RedRay MGA added, “Our partnership with EIS is well-timed as the healthcare industry continues to evolve and impact the indemnity needs of practitioners and institutions alike. Having medical malpractice specialists in the Asia Pacific region with close to 20 years’ experience, our agility and innovation allow us to deliver market-leading solutions for all our healthcare clients. I’m excited for the future of the region’s healthcare and look forward to growing further with our existing network of loyal partners and forging new ones.”  

January 7, 2025 by matray

Discover How AI is Revolutionizing Medical Professional Liability (MPL) Insurance 🚀

AI is reshaping the insurance landscape, and now is your chance to learn how it can elevate the claims management and reduce the claims costs for your MPL business. Join Medical Liability Monitor for an exclusive webinar, “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Improve Claims Management and Reduce Claims Costs for Medical Professional Liability Insurers,” where industry experts will share actionable insights to help you:

✔️ Enhance Claims Management – Reduce handling times and improve decision-making with predictive analytics.
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📅 Webinar Details:

• Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025


• Time: 2 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. CST / 12 p.m. MST / 11 a.m. PST


• Location: Online – Your Computer


• Cost: $147 (through 1/10/25, $197 thereafter)


• Register at: https://tinyurl.com/3nt5ybr7

• Frank Giaoui, Optimalex founder and chief executive officer


• Ryan Bucsi, OMIC vice president of claims

• Attendance for up to five team members.

January 6, 2025 by matray

Below are some headlines and article synopses from the January 2025 issue of Medical Liability Monitor. To read the articles in their entirety, please subscribe today.

New York Gov. Hochul Vetoes Grieving Families Act for Third Time
The 2024 session of the New York State Legislature was like déjà vu all over again, as it once again overwhelmingly passed the Grieving Families Act. For the third time, Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed the measure that would have overhauled the state’s 178-year-old wrongful death statute, having previously vetoed two earlier versions of the bill in 2023 and January 2024 …

Online Healthcare Reviews Turned Negative Following COVID
Patient reviews can be a powerful tool for the healthcare industry, providing valuable insights into the quality of care being provided by medical professionals and institutions. And a correlation between patient satisfaction and medical liability claims has long been documented. After the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, the number of positive online reviews of healthcare facilities dropped significantly and has yet to fully recover, according to a recent analysis led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, more than half of the reviews on the online platform Yelp are negative, a stark reversal of the pre-COVID trend …

Texas Attorney General Sues New York Doctor for Prescribing Abortifacients Via Telemedicine
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last month filed a lawsuit accusing a New York doctor of prescribing and providing abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents in violation of state law. New York is one of 23 states with shield laws protecting people accessing and providing abortion services. Paxton’s lawsuit is the first case to test what happens when state abortion laws conflict with each other …

Pennsylvania Can Access Med Malpractice JUA Surplus Funds
The United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit last month ruled that the Pennsylvania state government can access surplus funds held by the commonwealth’s Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association (JUA). The JUA currently maintains a surplus of nearly $350 million …

Philladelphia Judge Orders New Trial in $45 Million Medical Liability Verdict
Judge Glynnis D. Hill of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas last month ordered a new trial in a medical liability lawsuit that resulted in a $45 million verdict against Temple University Hospital. Judge Hill determined there were “inconsistencies in both the jury’s liability and damages determinations” significant enough to warrant the new trial …

ATRF Publishes Annual ‘Judicial Hellholes’ Report, Medical Professional Liability Again Plays Determining Role
The American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF) issued its 2024/2025 Judicial Hellholes report last month. The annual release documents abuse of the civil justice system in jurisdictions the pro-tort reform group says are among the most unfair and out of balance in the United States. The ATRF is a branch of the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA), an umbrella organization exclusively dedicated to reforming the nation’s court system via a network of state-based liability-reform coalitions. As every year, medical professional liability issues played a compelling role in which regions/jurisdictions received mention in the Judicial Hellholes report …

Bills to Raise, Pierce MedMal Damage Cap Die in Michigan Congress
Legislation aimed at amending the Michigan Revised Judicature Act to increase — or in certain cases eliminate — the state’s limits on recoverable noneconomic damages in medical liability claims failed last month when two companion bills did not pass their respective chambers before the adjournment of the state’s 2024 legislative session. The proposed bills would have also introduced new exemptions to those increased limits …

Make America Healthy Again: An Unconventional Movement
President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House has given health business leaders and non-mainstream doctors significant clout in shaping the nascent health policies of the new administration and its federal agencies. It’s also giving newfound momentum to “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, a controversial movement that challenges prevailing perspectives on public health and chronic disease …

Subscribe today to get this issue (as well as the 2024 and 2025 Annual Rate Survey at no additional cost).

January 2, 2025 by matray

Mutual Insurance Co. of Arizona (MICA) today announced that its Board of Trustees has declared a policyholder dividend of $16 million. The dividend will be allocated among participating policyholders who are current members as of Dec. 31, 2024, the record date.

“As a mutual insurer, our member-policyholders are at the heart of everything we do,” said Edward G. Marley, MICA president and CEO. “This dividend is a testament to our financial strength and commitment to offering unique value for our medical professional liability policyholders. We’re proud to share our success directly with our insureds once again.”

The dividend represents approximately 18% of a policyholder’s 2024 annual premium for those members insured by MICA for a full three-year period ending on the Dec. 31, 2024, record date. Members current as of the record date who were consecutively insured less than the full three-year period will receive a pro-rated amount. Additional information regarding the policyholder dividend distribution for each member will be available on MICA’s member portal at www.mica-insurance.com in early February 2025.

Following the February 2025 dividend distribution, MICA will have returned $746 million in dividends to its policyholders since inception, including $95 million in the last five years.

Since 2005, the MICA Board of Trustees has awarded dividends to its policyholders each year.

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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