By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Governor Holden is embracing a report
with proposals to slow the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance.
The report by the state Insurance Department mainly recommends changes to the insurance industry -- not the legal industry, as Republican lawmakers have proposed.
Insurance Director Scott Lakin says malpractice premiums have been rising partly because of a decline in competition among insurers.
His suggestions include the creation of a state-sponsored malpractice insurance program for medical specialties with the
fastest-rising insurance costs. That would require passage of legislation.
Lakin also proposes a law requiring insurers to use Missouri figures -- not national ones -- in setting their malpractice insurance premiums.