Protecting Kansas Health Care Providers : How the Fund Safeguards Kansas Health Care
(May 2025) – KAMMCO is committed to supporting Kansas health care providers by ensuring they have the resources and protections necessary to deliver quality patient care. The Kansas Health Care Stabilization Fund has been a critical safeguard for health care providers and patients.
The latest KAMMCO Vital Sounds newsletter article includes a deep dive into the Fund and understanding why it remains an essential part of the Kansas health care landscape. Here's a brief overview of its impact. The article is in the Q1 Vital Sounds edition here: https://www.kammco.com/vital-sounds/2025q1/.
The Fund was Created in Response to a Crisis
The Fund was created in response to the medical malpractice insurance crisis of the late 1970s and 1980s. Rising insurance costs threatened to drive health care providers out of practice, which could have severely impacted patient access to care.
To address this issue, Kansas lawmakers established the Kansas Health Care Stabilization Fund, designed to ensure health care providers could continue practicing with the liability protection they need.
How the Fund Works
The Fund is financed entirely by participating health care providers, without using tax dollars, and offers several key benefits:
- Mandatory Liability Coverage: All qualified health care providers must carry a defined minimum amount of liability insurance coverage.
- A Layer of Financial Protection: An independent fund that provides one of the layers of the required amount of professional liability coverage.
- Guaranteed Access to Insurance: The Kansas Health Care Providers Insurance Availability Plan ensures that every qualified health care provider in Kansas has access to liability insurance, even if the provider cannot receive insurance in the private market.
- Limits on Non-Economic Damages: A statutory cap on non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits is intended to help maintain stability in the liability system.
Why This Matters for Kansas Health Care
The Fund is crucial in maintaining a balanced and sustainable liability environment in Kansas. Without it, we could see the same challenges other states have faced—rising costs, provider shortages and decreased access to care. By offering reliable coverage and legal protections, the Fund helps secure future health care in Kansas.
Learn More
For a more detailed look at how the Fund safeguards the Kansas medical community, read Kansas Fund Safeguards Providers.