May 18, 2013
More than 400 Florida doctors will lose their medical malpractice insurance next year. That's despite medical malpractice law passed by the Legislature this summer.
GE Medical Protective notified the physicians this week that their policies would not be renewed in January. GE says the problem is one of timing.
The insurer can't tell doctors what their rates will be until the state calculates the impact of the law changes. And the state estimates won't be ready until mid-November.
The state requires insurers to give 60 days notice on rate increases and 90 days notice on non-renewal.
A GE spokesman says that forces them to send out notices of non-renewal to physicians whose policies expire Jan. 1.
