Liability Insurance

The debate over gun violence has focused on restricting sales of military-style assault weapons, semiautomatic pistols and background checks. Where is the concern for the victims of shooting? The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. " One bullet can rob a person of all these rights.

Besides drinking beer, there are two other pastimes that Bavarians love: driving and sport-shooting, including hunting. Bavarians build BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machines. " Bavarians' national dress is hunter green. No one who visits Munich is likely to miss the German Hunting and Fishing Museum in the middle of the main shopping street. When in Munich, I saw the world's best-known opera devoted to shooting and hunting, Carl Maria von Weber's " Der Freischütz " ("The Marksman"), with its unforgettable Hunters' Chorus singing, "What on earth can equal the pleasure of hunting?"

Spring is here, and you're feeling festive. So you decide to have the neighbors over for a barbecue. It's all fun and games until someone is hurt on your property, loses his ability to earn income and wants yours. Will your insurance cover it? "Let's say somebody trips and falls, or worse, they jump in the pool and become a paraplegic," said Cary Carbonaro, a certified financial planner in New York and Florida. "You're getting sued.". Those three little words could end up costing you a lot of money.

Perhaps Mr. Goodman could be advised to present his case for gun rights advocacy without disparaging the character of someone he doesn't even know, my friend, Mr. Britt ("Obama, O'Malley missing the point on gun control," letters Feb. 21).  is no sycophant.  Using mocking and derogatory language about your opponent on an issue does nothing to justify or promote your position.   Perhaps Mr. Goodman should stick to the facts of his own argument rather than imagining the thoughts of others. It would be nice to hear why he criticizes President Obama for nominating a permanent director of ATF. I think it is absurd to leave that position vacant.  Maybe he could tell us why he thinks we should protect the people who are such poor marksmen or have bad intentions that they need "scary looking weapons," too numerous to catalog, in the first place or old-fashioned guns that are easily retrofitted with speed loaders so they can shoot more bullets. To me, Mr. Goodman makes a really good case for banning all weapons. I'd rather protect people going to school, worship, their workplace or the mall from those who want the capacity to shoot lots of bullets in no time flat. I support the proposed gun safety measures to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He also seems unhappy with the proposals for gun owners in Maryland including $250k liability insurance; it doesn't sound like nearly enough to me.  Perhaps he would also share the source of his statistics...

Maryland doctors would pay 12 percent more in premiums for professional liability insurance under a rate increase proposed by Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland.It was the first rate increase requested by Med Mutual, which insures an estimated 75 percent of Maryland doctors, in at least seven years.In its filing, the insurer cited a recent change to the state law that sets a maximum amount for noneconomic damage awards, which the company said was causing costs and premiums to rise.

Besides drinking beer, there are two other pastimes that Bavarians love: driving and sport-shooting, including hunting. Bavarians build BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machines. " Bavarians' national dress is hunter green. No one who visits Munich is likely to miss the German Hunting and Fishing Museum in the middle of the main shopping street. When in Munich, I saw the world's best-known opera devoted to shooting and hunting, Carl Maria von Weber's " Der Freischütz " ("The Marksman"), with its unforgettable Hunters' Chorus singing, "What on earth can equal the pleasure of hunting?"

Reconciling longstanding differences, doctors and trial lawyers presented Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. with a joint proposal yesterday to keep medical liability insurance premiums in check by using tax dollars to cover rate increases. Ehrlich reviewed the draft plan at a morning meeting with leaders of the trial bar and MedChi, the professional association for Maryland doctors. Representatives of the Medical Mutual Liability Society of Maryland, the largest insurer of doctors in the state, also attended.

Suppose that the state of Maryland decided, with no rational explanation, to charge car owners in Hagerstown $25 for their license plates while charging car owners in Salisbury $50 for the same plates. Or suppose that the state charged drivers in Towson $10 to renew their drivers' licenses but drivers in Dundalk $20.If such blatant, arbitrary and mindless fee distinctions were put into effect, we can be certain a citizen revolt would ensue. And even if the legislature did not respond to grievances, it is likely the courts would swiftly strike down this discrimination.

MARYLAND'S GROWING medical malpractice insurance troubles are strikingly similar to what doctors and hospitals in the Philadelphia region started confronting a few years ago. From my perspective as someone who invested 16 years in Maryland politics and health policy before relocating to Pennsylvania, I would urge legislators in Annapolis to deal with this issue now, during the current General Assembly session -- before the availability and affordability of...

Unlicensed home improvement contractors will undoubtedly be trying to take advantage “of distraught homeowners anxious to complete repairs as soon as possible,” Maryland's Labor and Licensing Department said the day after the storm called Sandy blew through the state. “Scam artists often follow damaging storms. Don't be fooled by an unlicensed contractor who offers to do a job at a lower price than a licensed contractor,” said Leonard Howie, secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, in a statement Wednesday.

The debate over gun violence has focused on restricting sales of military-style assault weapons, semiautomatic pistols and background checks. Where is the concern for the victims of shooting? The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. " One bullet can rob a person of all these rights.

Perhaps some facts would help the sycophantic Mr. Britt understand how truly vacuous and meaningless our president's recent theatrical performance on gun control, complete with a wallpaper of children behind him, was ("State lawmakers should follow President Obama's lead on gun safety," Letters, Jan. 24). I'm sure Mr. Britt was equally impressed by our governor's performance in which he claimed that the Newtown tragedy demonstrated the need for Obamacare is needed! The political grandstanding of our politicians is shameful!

Unlicensed home improvement contractors will undoubtedly be trying to take advantage “of distraught homeowners anxious to complete repairs as soon as possible,” Maryland's Labor and Licensing Department said the day after the storm called Sandy blew through the state. “Scam artists often follow damaging storms. Don't be fooled by an unlicensed contractor who offers to do a job at a lower price than a licensed contractor,” said Leonard Howie, secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, in a statement Wednesday.

Organizers of the charitable Half Full Triathlon are thrilled Lance Armstrong will compete in their October Howard County race. But critics in the sports community aren't sharing their enthusiasm. Because Armstrong has been banned for life from all sports governed by federations, organizers of the 3-year-old Half Full had to give up their status as a sanctioned race to welcome him, losing the prestige that comes with that status and opening the door to critics who say Armstrong's tarnished reputation stains the event.

A General Assembly work group looking into how the legislature should respond to a court decision ruling pit bulls inherently dangerous wants to rewrite the state's liability laws to treat all breeds equally and to do away with the doctrine that essentially gives each dog one free bite, a co-chairman of the panel said. Del. Curt Anderson, the House chairman of Task Force to Study Court Decision Regarding Pit Bulls, said the consensus of the panel was that the Court of Appeals was off the mark when it singled out a particular breed in a ruling this spring.

A second Senate committee Monday approved a bill that would raise the minimum amount of liability coverage Maryland vehicle owners must carry on their auto insurance, giving the measure a boost as it heads to a vote on the floor. The Judicial Proceedings Committee acted immediately after holding a hearing on the bill that brought testimony from accident victims in favor of the change and from advocates for the poor in opposition. "We are seriously concerned about what this will do to the most vulnerable people in the state," said Melissa Broome of the Job Opportunities Task Force.

Monday, 3 p.m. House Appropriations, 130 Lowe, House Office BuildingHB 1158 The First Budget Reconciliation Act for Fiscal Year 1993; HB 1352 The Budget Reconciliation Act for Fiscal Year 1993House Environmental Matters, Room 160, Lowe HOBHB 1003 Growth Management -- Comprehensive Plan Enforcement; HB 1195 Economic Growth and Resource Act of 1992Tuesday, 1 p.m. Senate Finance, Presidential Wing, James Senate Office BuildingSB 523 Group Health Insurance --...

Maryland's largest provider of doctors' liability insurance has refused to provide detailed data to a state Senate commission investigating a medical insurance crisis, and legislators said yesterday they might issue subpoenas to gather the information. Sen. Brian E. Frosh, chairman of the special commission on medical malpractice liability insurance, was furious after learning that the Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society rebuffed questions on claims history, investment reserves and data used to calculate rates.

The state's largest malpractice insurer must pay its entire $68.6 million dividend to the state or cut its premiums, but it can't distribute any of the money to doctors, the Maryland Insurance Administration argued yesterday. With malpractice claim payouts declining, the insurer, Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, declared the dividend last month but payment was blocked by state regulators who wanted to study the issue. Med Mutual said it would pay about two-thirds of the dividend to the state, in partial return for nearly $80 million in state premium subsidies paid since 2005.

You've worked hard all your life to accumulate a little personal wealth. One frivolous lawsuit could wipe it all out. In today's litigious society, many people need to take steps to protect their assets from lawsuits and illegitimate creditor claims. "Many people are good at playing offense, meaning earning the money or saving, but all too often, they forget to play defense," said Michael Busch, a certified financial planner and president of Vogel Financial Advisors in Dallas. You don't have to be super-rich to take some action.