Bill Text: NY A06589 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Extends certain provisions relating to primary medical malpractice insurance coverage.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-05-18 - held for consideration in insurance [A06589 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-A06589-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ S. 2959 A. 6589 2009-2010 Regular Sessions S E N A T E - A S S E M B L Y March 6, 2009 ___________ IN SENATE -- Introduced by Sen. FLANAGAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Insur- ance IN ASSEMBLY -- Introduced by M. of A. BALL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance AN ACT to amend chapter 266 of the laws of 1986, amending the civil practice law and rules and other laws relating to malpractice and professional medical conduct, in relation to terms of insurance cover- age THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 18 of chapter 266 2 of the laws of 1986, amending the civil practice law and rules and other 3 laws relating to malpractice and professional medical conduct, as 4 amended by section 23 of part B of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, is 5 amended to read as follows: 6 (a) The superintendent of insurance and the commissioner of health or 7 their designee shall, from funds available in the hospital excess 8 liability pool created pursuant to subdivision (5) of this section, 9 purchase a policy or policies for excess insurance coverage, as author- 10 ized by paragraph (1) of subsection (e) of section 5502 of the insurance 11 law; or from an insurer, other than an insurer described in section 5502 12 of the insurance law, duly authorized to write such coverage and actual- 13 ly writing medical malpractice insurance in this state; or shall 14 purchase equivalent excess coverage in a form previously approved by the 15 superintendent of insurance for purposes of providing equivalent excess 16 coverage in accordance with section 19 of chapter 294 of the laws of 17 1985, for medical or dental malpractice occurrences between July 1, 1986 18 and June 30, 1987, between July 1, 1987 and June 30, 1988, between July 19 1, 1988 and June 30, 1989, between July 1, 1989 and June 30, 1990, EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09703-01-9 S. 2959 2 A. 6589 1 between July 1, 1990 and June 30, 1991, between July 1, 1991 and June 2 30, 1992, between July 1, 1992 and June 30, 1993, between July 1, 1993 3 and June 30, 1994, between July 1, 1994 and June 30, 1995, between July 4 1, 1995 and June 30, 1996, between July 1, 1996 and June 30, 1997, 5 between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 1998, between July 1, 1998 and June 6 30, 1999, between July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000, between July 1, 2000 7 and June 30, 2001, between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002, between July 8 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003, between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004, 9 between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005, between July 1, 2005 and June 10 30, 2006, between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007, between July 1, 2007 11 and June 30, 2008, between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, between July 12 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, and between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011 or 13 reimburse the hospital where the hospital purchases equivalent excess 14 coverage as defined in subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 15 (1-a) of this section for medical or dental malpractice occurrences 16 between July 1, 1987 and June 30, 1988, between July 1, 1988 and June 17 30, 1989, between July 1, 1989 and June 30, 1990, between July 1, 1990 18 and June 30, 1991, between July 1, 1991 and June 30, 1992, between July 19 1, 1992 and June 30, 1993, between July 1, 1993 and June 30, 1994, 20 between July 1, 1994 and June 30, 1995, between July 1, 1995 and June 21 30, 1996, between July 1, 1996 and June 30, 1997, between July 1, 1997 22 and June 30, 1998, between July 1, 1998 and June 30, 1999, between July 23 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000, between July 1, 2000 and June 30, 2001, 24 between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2002, between July 1, 2002 and June 25 30, 2003, between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004, between July 1, 2004 26 and June 30, 2005, between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006, between July 27 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007, between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008, 28 between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, between July 1, 2009 and June 29 30, 2010, and between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011 for physicians or 30 dentists certified as eligible for each such period or periods pursuant 31 to subdivision (2) of this section by a general hospital licensed pursu- 32 ant to article 28 of the public health law; provided that no single 33 insurer shall write more than fifty percent of the total excess premium 34 for a given policy year; and provided, however, that such eligible 35 physicians or dentists must have in force an individual policy, from an 36 insurer licensed in this state of primary malpractice insurance coverage 37 in amounts of no less than one million [three hundred thousand] dollars 38 for each claimant and three million [nine hundred thousand] dollars for 39 all claimants under that policy during the period of such excess cover- 40 age for such occurrences or be endorsed as additional insureds under a 41 hospital professional liability policy which is offered through a volun- 42 tary attending physician ("channeling") program previously permitted by 43 the superintendent of insurance during the period of such excess cover- 44 age for such occurrences. During such period, such policy for excess 45 coverage or such equivalent excess coverage shall, when combined with 46 the physician's or dentist's primary malpractice insurance coverage or 47 coverage provided through a voluntary attending physician ("channeling") 48 program, total an aggregate level of two million three hundred thousand 49 dollars for each claimant and six million nine hundred thousand dollars 50 for all claimants from all such policies with respect to occurrences in 51 each of such years [provided, however, if the cost of primary malprac- 52 tice insurance coverage in excess of one million dollars, but below the 53 excess medical malpractice insurance coverage provided pursuant to this 54 act, exceeds the rate of nine percent per annum, then the required level 55 of primary malpractice insurance coverage in excess of one million 56 dollars for each claimant shall be in an amount of not less than the S. 2959 3 A. 6589 1 dollar amount of such coverage available at nine percent per annum; the 2 required level of such coverage for all claimants under that policy 3 shall be in an amount not less than three times the dollar amount of 4 coverage for each claimant; and excess coverage, when combined with such 5 primary malpractice insurance coverage, shall increase the aggregate 6 level for each claimant by one million dollars and three million dollars 7 for all claimants;] and provided further, that, with respect to policies 8 of primary medical malpractice coverage that include occurrences between 9 April 1, 2002 and June 30, 2002, such requirement that coverage be in 10 amounts no less than one million three hundred thousand dollars for each 11 claimant and three million nine hundred thousand dollars for all claim- 12 ants for such occurrences shall be effective April 1, 2002. 13 S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.