The Nation - News from Feb. 5, 1986

A mounting number of doctors joined a work slowdown to protest Massachusetts’ soaring malpractice insurance premiums, and patients who were refused orthopedic surgery at affected hospitals rushed to major medical centers. An estimated 25% to 50% of the obstetricians and orthopedic surgeons in the state are withholding services. The Legislature has vowed to address the crisis by April 30. The doctors are particularly angry over a Dec. 27 ruling by the state Division of Insurance that hiked some malpractice premiums by more than 60% retroactive to 1983.