Summaries of recent developments related to medical malpractice in two states appear below.North Carolina: The North Carolina Department of Insurance last week announced it has found no evidence that Medical Mutual Insurance, the state's largest medical malpractice insurer, is charging "excessive" rates that are in violation of state law, and the department said no hearings will be held on the matter, the Charlotte Observer reports. The N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers recently published a report alleging that the insurer charges illegally high rates, and the group asked that Insurance Commissioner Jim Long conduct a hearing on the matter. Chrissy Pearson, an insurance department spokesperson, said, "We don't find there to be any need for a hearing. ... [W]e find the company to be well within the range of its peers, not way above or way below" (Ranii, Charlotte Observer, 5/17).

Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians is launching a radio campaign in an effort to combat Gov. Jim Doyle's (D) proposal to take $175 million from a fund established for patients injured by medical malpractice to help pay for other state initiatives, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. The fund had $737.4 million as of June 30, 2006, and its actuary estimates that $685 million of the money is needed to pay future claims, leaving the fund with a net worth of $59.8 million. A study by the Legislative Audit Bureau in March confirmed that taking $175 million would leave the fund with a deficit. The report also stated that predicting future liabilities is very difficult and that the governor's proposal could result in higher assessments on doctors. Doyle wants to use the $175 million to help pay for state health care programs and other projects but has failed in two past attempts to obtain money from the fund. His plan also is opposed by the Wisconsin Medical Society -- which represents 60% of the state's doctors -- and the Wisconsin Hospital Association (Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/21).

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