Several obstetricians at the hospital, which specializing in high-risk pregnancies have been threatened with insurance dismissal by their indemnity provider, a malpractice insurance group.
On February 10, an official letter of warning was sent to 8 of the 13 active doctors of the hospital with the claim that a third party had encouraged the insurance group to not renew coverage for the hospital. A New York Criminal Lawyer notes that according to the letter, the “method of practice” and “practice environment” common to the doctors at the hospital was deemed “predictive of future claims in excess of the norm, and makes insuring you an unreasonable burden to the other policyholders.” The letter had no indication of the details of malpractice on the part of the doctors. However, this is a serious development which has far-reaching consequences for many.
If the insurance of these doctors were suddenly discontinued, surrounding hospitals that also operate in the Bronx area would find themselves unprepared for and overloaded with a massive influx of pregnant women seeking to give birth in their facilities. As observed by a New York Criminal Lawyer, the hospital in question delivers around 2,700 babies a year on average, mostly high-risk in nature. The details of this “high risk” depiction seem to include women who are teenagers, or suffer from medical issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Due to these circumstances, the chief medical officer of another hospital in the area was quoted as saying, “We don’t have the capacity currently to handle these babies… I look at it now as a borough-wide problem. We’d have to come together with the other providers to figure out what to do.”
At the same time, a parallel situation is brewing. It seems that a task force working for the governor of New York has pursued a measure which would limit the amount of compensation received in cases of malpractice that centered on “non-economic damages” such as physical suffering on the part of the afflicted individual. However, a New York City Criminal Lawyer realizes that trial lawyers are strongly opposed to this measure; they claim that it would seriously limit the damages awarded to families steeped in poverty. No Fraud has been charged or intimated but in New York City and Long Island this could be a possibility if certain facts are uncovered.
The volatility of this issue is evident. It is likely that many on both side of this debate over insurance for high-risk pregnancies will be affected: mothers, doctors, and insurance providers.
Should you or a loved one find yourself in circumstances similar to the account described above, please do not hesitate to contact a New York Criminal Attorney for representation and legal counsel.The Office of Stephen Bilkis and Associates can offer you support and guidance as well as a free consultation when you contact us at 1-800-NY-NY-LAW. We have offices in New York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and The Bronx and in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County.