Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,Ref-Mahopac) is pushing for continued support in the state budget to prevent the state’s high malpractice insurance costs from being pushed onto physicians. Currently, the Medicaid Redesign Team II is proposing a $52 million cut, shifting the cost back onto physicians enrolled in the excess Medical Malpractice Insurance Program.
“It’s high time someone stood up for the doctors in our community,” said Byrne. “Understanding the dire fiscal situation New York is presently in, as well as the existing public health crisis, now is not the time slash long-established funding that suppresses New York’s sky high malpractice insurance costs from being passed onto physicians. I am all for sitting down if the governor and other elected leaders want to have a serious discussion about tort reform to bring down the price tag of malpractice insurance, but I will not support this type of political horse trading in our budget process.
“Our public officials need to stand up together for our doctors and other healthcare professionals, now more than ever. We should not be further burdening our providers with additional costs when they are working day in and day out, risking their own lives and that of their loved ones battling the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Assemblyman Kevin Byrne is the ranking member of the Assembly Health Committee and represents the 94th Assembly District, including portions of Westchester and Putnam Counties.
