Texas experiment with Medical Liability Caps
has Failed, Public Citizen Report Shows

WASHINGTON—Medical malpractice liability caps instituted in Texas in 2003 have failed to improve the state’s health care system, a new Public Citizen report reveals.

These findings are crucial because the Texas experiment has been held up as a model by proponents of proposals now pending in Congress to limit patients’ rights. In spite of rhetoric to the contrary, the data show that the health care system in Texas has grown worse since 2003 by nearly every measure, as the following examples demonstrate.

•;The;percentage;of;uninsured;people;in;Texas;has;in-
creased, remaining the highest in the country with a
quarter of Texans now uninsured,
•;The;cost;of;health;insurance;in;the;state;has;more;than
doubled.

•;The;cost;of;health;care;in;Texas;(measured;by;per;patient Medicare reimbursements) has increased at nearly double the national average.

•;Spending;increases;for;diagnostic;testing;(measured;by per patient Medicare reimbursements) have far exceeded the national average.

“Members of Congress have conjured the supposed benefits of the Texas law out of thin air,” said David Arkush, direc- continued on page 6

Another Year of “Soft Market”
Pricing Comes to a Close

In This Issue

TDI Posts November enforcement Actions

DALLAS—Calendar year 2009 closed with the property and casualty composite rate index for December registering down four percent. Throughout 2009, there was much anticipation of a return to rate increases; however, those increases never materialized. The year began with composite rate reductions of minus nine percent. Rate reductions slowly moderated throughout the year to close at minus four percent.

SELLING STRATEGIES:

Start The Year Off Right

PCI Tells “Cat” Tales in New Guidebook

Blue Goose Liability Protection Workshop

Chubb Joins Cargo Theft Information Sharing Network

continued on page 4

According to Richard Kerr, chairman and CEO of MarketScout, “Reinsurance rates were favorable for insurers renegotiating their Jan. 1, 2010. treaties. These favorable reinsurance terms will help insurers continue their aggressive pricing

WC Insurers & Actuaries Must Gird for Impact of healthcare Reform 11

TexasSure Auto Database Launches Letter Campaign

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