|
|
March 14, 2010
|
|
Women Want Their Midwives!
|
Midwives Included in PA Law to Lower Malpractice
Premiums
By Shawn Farley
ACNM Communications Manager
(This article appears in the January/February 2004 issue of Quickening) |
photo courtesy of I. George Bilyk |
Pennsylvania nurse-midwives recently scored a major political
victory; officially recognized by the state as high risk health
care providers, and included in a new law to reduce liability insurance
costs for obstetric providers and other health care professionals.
Pennsylvania Governor, Edward G. Rendell, added nurse-midwives
to the group of obstetricians, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons,
emergency room physicians, and family practitioners who attend
births in rural areas, who are allowed to forgo paying any MCARE
(Medical Care Availability
and Reduction of Error act of
2002) assessments for 2003 and 2004. All other physicians will
have 50%
of their Mcare bills forgiven.
|
|
The 100% abatement for the high risk group was added to PA House
Bill 44, passed into law by the state legislature in December,
recognizing nurse-midwives as high risk providers and the only
non-physicians excluded from paying Mcare premiums. All Pennsylvania
health care providers had been mandated to contribute to Mcare,
the state run program which provides catastrophic coverage over
and above their joint underwriting authority insurance. The new
law could save nurse-midwives as much as $7,700 per year in premiums.
Governor Rendell says that the 100% abatement will reduce overall
malpractice insurance costs for health care providers in high risk
specialties by an average of 20-33 percent. Providers must sign
an agreement to practice in Pennsylvania for one year after the
abatement ends and have had no more than three claims filed against
them in the past five years to receive the new benefit. The law
is intended as a short term resolution to the professional liability
crisis in Pennsylvania while nurse-midwives join other health care
providers and the state to seek a permanent solution.
|
|
Bimonthly Publication of the American College of Nurse-Midwives |
Copyright 2003, American College of Nurse-Midwives.
All rights reserved.
8403 Colesville Rd, Suite 1550 Silver Spring MD 20910
Phone: 240-485-1800 • Fax: 240-485-1818 • Web: www.quickening.org
Visit ACNM at www.midwife.org |
| |
