If Gov. Jim Doyle has his way, Wisconsin is in for a serious physician shortage that could significantly reduce access to specialty care and increase the cost of medical services for state residents.
At issue is the state’s medical liability fund – the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund – which is used to pay large liability awards to injured patients and their families. The fund, financed by assessments on state health care providers, was established in 1975 to help control rapidly rising liability premiums. It worked, and today, Wisconsin is one of only seven states not facing a medical malpractice crisis.
Gov. Doyle has proposed transferring nearly $175 million from the fund to help balance the state budget and pay for new programs. Actuarial experts universally agree such a one-time transfer will lead to massive liability premium increases – the cost of which will be passed on to Wisconsin patients.
Rising premiums will also likely force physicians to reduce specialty care or close practices altogether, leaving Wisconsin for states with lower liability rates. It would also have a chilling affect on physician recruitment. The resulting physician shortage would ultimately reduce access to health care, especially in high-risk specialties such as obstetrics and surgery.
In a March 2007 report, the Legislative Audit Bureau, the Legislature’s non-partisan accounting agency, cautioned the proposed transfer would place the fund in a deficit accounting position while violating state law concerning its use. Still, this is the governor’s third attempt to raid the fund.
Twice in the past, legislators have wisely refused to hand over money that rightfully belongs to others, while passing laws emphasizing the fund is held in irrevocable trust – solely for injured patients and their families.
What can you do? Remind your legislators that the fund exists for the injured and their families. It benefits the entire state and should be left alone.
Without the fund, the next time we ask, "Is there a doctor in the house?" the answer we hear might be, "No."
John Brill is a physician and president of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians.
