FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 1, 2005
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Laurie Peacock
312-580-6497
(cell) 312-608-3620
Bipartisan Medical Litigation Reform Bill will “Keep Doctors in Illinois”
Green wristband campaign goes statewide, bringing awareness to health care access crisis
Chicago/Springfield – Physicians, hospitals, liability insurers and patients rallied around solutions to Illinois’ access to medical care crisis today, calling for passage of a bipartisan bill to repair our state’s broken litigation system and “Keep Doctors in Illinois,” the phrase reinforced on wristbands worn by participants at today’s news conferences.
“Doctors continue to give up high-risk procedures, move their practices to other states and leave medicine all together. Patients are finding it harder and harder to access needed medical care. This is not just a rural problem, it’s one that is impacting Chicago and other urban parts of Illinois as well,” said Kenneth J. Printen, M.D., president of the Illinois State Medical Society.
The bipartisan medical litigation reform bill was introduced today in the Illinois House and Senate. Principal co-sponsors include: Senators David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville), Frank Watson (R-Greenville), John O. Jones (R-Mount Vernon) and Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) Pamela Althoff (R-Crystal Lake); Representatives Tom Cross (R-Oswego), Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville), Dan Beiser (DAlton), Thomas Holbrook (D-Belleville), Elizabeth Coulson (R-Glenview) and Brent Hassert (R-Romeoville).
Key provisions of the bill would:
- Reduce unwarranted lawsuits
- Cap non-economic damages while preserving unlimited economic damages
- Enact sensible insurance reforms
- Enhance medical discipline
- Enable annuity payments for awards
- Protect physicians’ personal assets
- Clarify the principle of apparent agency
Ample proof of the litigation crisis continues to be evident in the medical liability insurance market.
“ISMIE is one of the few insurers remaining in the market here today. Less than a decade ago there were over 30. Since then, all but a handful have fled or gone out of business,” stated Harold L. Jensen, M.D., Chairman of ISMIE Mutual, Illinois’ largest medical liability insurer. “Plaintiff lawyers will tell you that the problem is, quote, “insurance company profits.” This is patently false. If liability insurers were as profitable as some would have us believe, they would be flocking to our state, not fleeing to our borders. ISMIE Mutual supports the sensible insurance reforms contained in the bills being introduced today, but opposes heaping additional burdensome restrictions on an already suffering insurance market. We stand together with ISMS in a common view that the legal justice system is causing this crisis, and needs immediate repair,” continued Dr. Jensen.
Patients are stepping forward to work toward reforms as well. Heidi Ruppenthal and her son Alex know first hand the importance of having neurosurgical care available locally. Alex, who incurred a brain injury while playing ball at school, is alive today only because he had access to a neurosurgeon near home. Lisa Kasten was not as lucky. Her father suffered a serious head injury and, with little neurosurgical care available locally, had to be transferred across the river to Missouri where he later died.
Green “Keep Doctors in Illinois” wristbands -- the brainchild of Lynne E. Nowak, M.D., an internist from Belleville, IL – have been incorporated into ISMS’ and ISMIE Mutual’s Reality Medicine 2005 campaign to raise statewide awareness of the need for litigation reform. Over 250,000 wristbands have been distributed so far, including one to President George W. Bush during his recent visit to Collinsville.
“Our broken litigation system is having a tragic effect on our medical care system. We urge the General Assembly to pass this bipartisan legislation and bring relief to the citizens of Illinois,” concluded Dr. Printen.
For more information including speaker biographies, a bill summary and a comprehensive issue document, go to www.isms.org, www.ismie.com or www.realitymedicine.com.
The Illinois State Medical Society is a professional medical association representing over 14,000
physicians practicing in all specialties statewide.
ISMIE Mutual Insurance Company is the largest insurer of medical liability for Illinois physicians.
Since the company’s inception in 1976, it has been policyholder-owned and operated.