ACEP ID:

Colorado

Recent Reforms Enacted (since 2003) 2003: Reaffirmed $300,000 noneconomic cap, protects physician explanations/apologies to patients.
Emergency Care Provision None
Reform Elements In Law $300K Cap (NE)
$1M Total Cap
Joint Liability
Collateral Source
Periodic Payments
Expert Witness
Affidavit of Merit
I’m Sorry Law
Constitutional Status of Reforms State Supreme Court upheld original noneconomic cap passed in 1988. (2004)
Change in Insurance Rates Coic Insurance, the state's largest insurer, said it would raise premiums in 2006 by 2.9%, the smallest increase in four years. In 2005, Copic raised rates by an average of 15.9% to $15,500. Copic attributed the smaller increase in 2006 to the enactment of damage caps in 2003. Copic provides coverage for about 80% of state's physicians. The AMA reports at least one insurer raised rates as much as 40 to 100% in 2004.
Insurance Availability Information not available.
Change in Physician Availability Nearly half of the 2,178 doctors who moved to Colorado in 2003 fled crisis states, according to Peregrine Management Corp. 863 relocated from states nearing
Change in Cases Filed/Awards 162 paid claims in 2003 or 13.5 per 1000 active nonfederal physicians.  US avg. was 18.8 per 1000.   128 paid claims in 2005 or 10.4 per 1000 active nonfederal physicians.  US avg. was 17.1 per 1000. (Kaiser) 137 total number of paid claims for 2006 of which 9.3 paid claims per 1,000 were active, non-federal physicians.
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