"If we put a bill on his desk and he doesn't sign it, I think he's in big trouble," Frosh said.
Efforts to reach a deal on medical malpractice legislation have proved elusive since Ehrlich first raised hopes for a special session this summer.
"There is a lot of agreement here," said Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., in College Park yesterday. "It's about 90 percent." Ehrlich wants a vote on Dec. 28.
(Lucian Perkins -- The Washington Post)
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_____From The Post_____
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Interim Malpractice Solutions Snubbed (The Washington Post, Dec 14, 2004)
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Md. Gets Warning on Malpractice Proposal (The Washington Post, Dec 11, 2004)
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Chance for Special Session Called Slim (The Washington Post, Dec 7, 2004)
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Md. Senate Panel Relents on Medical Malpractice Reform (The Washington Post, Dec 2, 2004)
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Malpractice Pinch Has Md. Doctors Mulling Whether to Wait -- or Leave (The Washington Post, Nov 30, 2004)
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In Delivery Room, Baby and Doctor at Risk (The Washington Post, Nov 27, 2004)
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Doctors Rally As Insurance Talks Drag On (The Washington Post, Nov 18, 2004)
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Besides disagreement over a revenue source, Ehrlich and Democratic leaders have sparred over the extent to which the state should enact legal changes aimed at curbing malpractice rates.
Ehrlich has advocated several reductions in payouts to plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits, a strategy embraced by doctors and insurance companies, who blame trial lawyers for escalating jury awards and settlements.
A handout Ehrlich presented in his final meeting with Miller and Busch yesterday included relatively modest provisions intended to curb damages for lost wages and medical expenses.
An existing cap of $650,000 on damages for "pain and suffering" would remain intact for the next five years. Under current law, that cap is scheduled to rise $15,000 a year.
Ehrlich will also ask lawmakers to reduce a cap on damages for "pain and suffering" in wrongful-death cases, from the current level of $1.6 million to $650,000.
Trial lawyers, whose lobbyists have been intensely involved in the latest negotiations, have argued that such measures would hurt victims but do little to lower doctors' insurance rates.
Maryland doctors greeted news of the session with anticipation. "This is great news," said T. Michael Preston, executive director of the Maryland State Medical Society. "Doctors are at a critical point in deciding whether they will continue to be available to serve their communities."
Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland, which insures more than three-quarters of the state's private-practice doctors, is raising rates by an average of 33 percent next year. That would follow a 28 percent increase this year.
In addition to the malpractice legislation, lawmakers will be required to consider whether to override Ehrlich's vetoes from their last regular session.
At least four bills could prove contentious: a measure requiring higher wages for workers on state contracts, a cap on state university tuition coupled with a corporate tax to pay higher education costs, a proposal to develop a managed care system for people in nursing homes and a proposal to make public records more accessible.
Del. John A. Hurson (D-Montgomery) said lawmakers are considering a parliamentary maneuver that would allow them to delay action on the governor's vetoes until they formally convene Jan. 12. But he was unsure whether such a plan would pass legal muster.
