For Immediate Release
October 31, 2007
Contact: Joe Sterns
717-787-5708
(Cell) 717-497-0806
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Folmer and Eichelberger Stand Together for Docs by Opposing $100 million from Mcare Fund 

HARRISBURG (October 30, 2007) – State Senators Mike "Citizen Mike" Folmer (R-Lebanon) and John H. "Eich" Eichelberger, Jr. (R-Blair) today stood firm for doctors by opposing legislation (SB 1137) that takes $100 million from the Mcare Fund to create two new entitlement programs.

Mcare is the Commonwealth's Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Program, which was implemented in 2002 to help doctors afford medical malpractice insurance. By law, doctors are required to carry $1 million of malpractice insurance, half of which is subsidized by Mcare.

The new entitlement programs opposed by Eichelberger and Folmer would:

1. Establish a medical safety automation fund (electronic medical records) for grants to health care providers;

2. Support the reduction of health care associated infections.

Folmer said, "The way to provide relief for our doctors is by enacting meaningful legal reform, not creating new entitlement programs from the insurance reserve money."

Eichelberger concurred, stating, "No actuarial data is available to responsibly take money from the account. Furthermore, by establishing two new programs from existing Mcare funds, we're putting Pennsylvania's doctors at risk, as these new programs are expected to grow over time."

In addition to the current Mcare coverage, Folmer and Eichelberger listed the following legal reforms as crucial components in lowering doctors' medical malpractice insurance premiums:

1. Capping jury awards for non-economic damages at $250,000; and

2. Replacing "joint and several" liability, also known as the "deep pocket" rule, with proportional liability in civil suits.

SB 1137 passed 44-2 and now moves to the House for consideration.