Word: sosenko
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...states could step in. Sosenko would love to see Illinois politicians ride to his rescue--and at the very least require a panel of qualified medical experts, rather than one hired gun, to sign off on a suit before it can go forward. But he doesn't hold out much hope. Twice in the past two decades, the state legislature has passed caps on noneconomic jury awards only to have them struck down as unconstitutional by the state supreme court. (Courts in other states, including California, have upheld similar caps.) Many state politicians are more than happy to hand...
...make up for their losses in underpriced premiums and poorly performing investments. An independent study by Weiss Ratings to be released this week shows that states with caps on malpractice damages have not enjoyed much relief in malpractice-insurance premiums but have instead seen insurers shore up profits. Sosenko's anger at the insurers moved him to join several hundred other Illinois physicians at a rally in the state capital earlier this year, calling on legislators to freeze malpractice premiums for six months and investigate the industry's pricing practices. "These companies pretty much have a free hand...
...Sosenko's petition drive generated more than 1,000 letters to Illinois' congressional delegation in Washington and to state legislators in Springfield. It got the attention of state senator Larry Walsh, a Democrat from Joliet. Concerned about the availability of medical care in his hometown, Walsh persuaded Midwest Pulmonary's original carrier to give the practice a special two-month extension--albeit a pricey one, costing about $35,000. Walsh has reason to be worried. Sosenko's practice isn't the only one in Joliet that is perilously close to shutting down. The area's last remaining neurosurgeon, after learning...
Soon after he got the two-month extension of his group's insurance, Sosenko thought he might have found a more permanent solution, courtesy of the local Provena Saint Joseph Hospital. Surgeons like to have a pulmonologist standing by when they perform a complicated procedure like open heart surgery. So the hospital offered to hire Sosenko and his colleagues as staff physicians and cover them under its liability insurance. However, Provena's insurance company wouldn't cover the doctors if they continued to see patients outside the hospital, even part time. "Maybe it was silly to take the two-month...
...insurers blame rate hikes and policy cancellations on what they describe as a rising tide of lawsuits and $1 million--plus jury awards. Their solution (which many doctors, including Sosenko, support): caps of $250,000 on noneconomic damages awarded for pain and suffering. President Bush and other Republicans, whose campaigns are supported by doctors and insurance firms, endorse such legislation, and the House of Representatives has passed a bill along those lines. But plaintiffs' lawyers, who contribute heavily to the campaigns of Democrats, are lobbying their friends in the Senate, and national "tort reform" may remain more of a rallying...