RELL FILES MED-MAL BILL:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has revealed a variety of proposals designed to help keep medical malpractice insurance affordable. Rell’s proposal calls for prior approval of rate hikes of more than 10 percent and stricter reporting requirements on hospitals to help prevent medical mistakes. It does not include caps on damage awards but raises the possibility of such caps in the future if premiums do not decrease as a result of other reforms. Former Gov. John Rowland vetoed a medical malpractice bill last year because it failed to include damage caps.If the other proposals Rell has outlined do not result in a 15 percent reduction in medical malpractice insurance premiums over three years, the insurance commissioner is to convene a working group to determine an appropriate cap on non-economic damages.

The governor’s proposals would: require that a jury consider all additional payments received by a plaintiff for the same injury when assessing damages; require that any payment over $200,000 be paid over time; require insurers to obtain prior approval for any rate increase of 10 percent or more.To reduce the number of medical mistakes, hospitals would be required to develop patient safety protocols and the Department of Public Health would be required to expedite the processing of medical malpractice complaints against doctors.