Government
Pa. governor extends Mcare abatement
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 17, 2005
Some Pennsylvania physicians in high-risk specialties won't have to pay into the state's catastrophic fund this year, and others will pay a reduced rate.
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell in December 2004 signed legislation that extends the abatement for the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error fund, commonly referred to as the Mcare fund. Similar to abatements in the past couple of years, obstetricians, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons and others in high-risk surgical specialties won't pay anything into the fund. Other physicians will pay only 50% of what they otherwise would have been asked to pay.
The state created the abatement program after physicians began leaving the state because they couldn't afford their medical liability insurance. Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that the American Medical Association lists as being in the middle of a medical liability insurance crisis.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/01/17/gvbf0117.htm.
