Despite the fact that most births occur without any major problems, this is not always the case. In rare instances, the baby suffers an injury during birth that affects him or her for a lifetime.
The state of Maryland is looking into making a change, prompted largely by a number of multimillion-dollar medical malpractice settlements.
If lawmakers have their way, a fund will be created to help pay for treatment for babies who suffered neurological birth injuries.
The proposed legislation will ask hospitals, obstetric and gynecological doctors, and malpractice insurance companies to pay an annual fee into the fund. With this in place, families of children who have suffered birth injuries would be able to recoup lost earnings and other costs associated with the injury.
At this time, New York, Florida, and Virginia are the only three states that have a birth injury fund, with Maryland looking to become the fourth name on the list.
The bill is supported by the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Hospital, with both believing that the fund is necessary to ensure that financial pressure on hospitals and doctors, related to high medical malpractice costs, does not become too big of a problem.
There are people on both sides of this bill, with many hoping that Maryland will become the fourth state with such a fund.
A child who suffers an injury at birth may require a lot of medical attention for the rest of his or her life. Maryland birth injury attorneys can step in to help the family better understand their rights and what possible courses of action may be pursued.
