Circle C Neighbors

Remember all the promises you were given if you voted yes to Prop 12, that doctors' insurance premiums would go down??? Wrong!
Looks like you gave up your rights in so many ways, and your doctors have gained nothing in return. The big winners...insurance companies.
Shame on those who voted yes on Prop 12.

~~~~~ INSURANCE ~~~~~

17. SOME MALPRACTICE RATES TO RISE DESPITE PROP. 12

Two months after Texans narrowly approved a measure that supporters said would lower malpractice insurance rates, the cost of premiums will either
rise or remain the same for many of the state's physicians next year. Two of five major carriers in Texas are planning to increase rates for physicians, according to regulators, and only one has promised to roll back premiums. In September, voters amended
the Texas Constitution to approve the capping of noneconomic damages in medical liability cases (and
permitting the legislature to cap damages in all civil cases) purportedly in an effort to curb the soaring costs of malpractice insurance. Before the
vote, the Texas Department of Insurance estimated physicians could save between 8.5 percent and 11.5 percent on premiums if the amendment was passed.
Thus far, however, only the state's largest underwriter, Texas Medical Liability Trust, has agreed to lower rates next year. The physician-owned
insurer, which covers one-third of the state's doctors, will lower premiums 12 percent on January 1 after increasing rates 128 percent between 1999 and
2003. Meanwhile, GE Medical Protective and the Joint Underwriting Association have told the state they will increase rates by 19 percent and 35 percent,
respectively.
*****
Darrin Schlegel, Houston Chronicle, 11/19/2003
For complete story, search
http://www.chron.com/content/archive/index.mpl
$ - The Houston Chronicle charges $4.95 for each archived article retrieved by a nonsubscriber

Shame on Whom???


Yep! It is a shame. However, it is not a shame on those who had voted for the Proposition 12 with the good intention of saving our doctors and improving our sick health system. It is surely a shame on a few greedy insurance companies. After all, it is the BIGGEST shame on those greedy lawyers making big bucks in the name of seeking justice. If the trial lawyers would restrain their appetite for $$$, there would not have a Proposition 12 in the first place!

By the way, doctors are intelligent people. They would be smart enough to switch their insurance companies to those who are willing to cut the rate.

It's worse now, not better

My co-payments doubled this year and my doctor no longer offers Flu shots !

Prop 12 didn't work.

To Mr. Hodes


Dear Mr. Hodes:

Your co-payment and your health insurance premium have nothing to do with Prop. 12; they have everything to do with your HMO or PPO?’s net profit, health insurance companies?’ greed.

Prop. 12 was designed to relieve the financial burden of our doctors, not their patients. It is a good thing to help our doctors. I surely want my doctors concentrating their minds on our health instead of worrying about their liability insurance. Why should we let some greedy trial lawyers using the name of seeking justice to victimize ALL the doctors? There is another better way to punish incompetent and irresponsible doctors ?– take away their licenses!

Our government should do something about our health insurance premium; they should regulate and put a cap on our health insurance premium. If Texas legislature could put a 10% cap on our property taxes, why can they do the same thing on our health insurance?

To my knowledge, both HMO and PPO do not provide free vaccinations unless you are a baby. I got my flu shot last month at Randall for $19.00.

Sincerely,
Lisa