Ehrlich Administration Prepares to Release Malpractice Funds

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Ehrlich administration is ready to release state funds that many Maryland doctors have been waiting for since December.

The money will go toward reducing malpractice premiums for doctors in high-risk specialties.

Ehrlich's budget secretary Chip DiPaula said Monday that he and the governor are prepared to sign off on a request for funding from state Insurance Commissioner Alfred Redmer.

The money will be used to hold premium increases to a maximum of five percent. That's a big difference from the 33 percent increase planned by the company that insures most Maryland doctors.

Lawmakers passed emergency malpractice legislation at a special session in December. Ehrlich vetoed the bill, saying he wanted more substantial changes in laws regulating malpractice suits. But the legislature overrode the veto.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)