Ohio Department of Insurance Agent / Agency Services

In August 2002, Governor Taft instructed the Ohio Department of Insurance to create a program to help Ohio medical professionals who are experiencing difficulty in obtaining medical malpractice liability insurance.

The Medical Coverage Assistance Program (MCAP) is the Department’s response to the Governor’s charge. It is a temporary, voluntary program operating under the supervision of the Superintendent of Insurance created to:

• Promote stability in the Ohio medical malpractice liability insurance market
• Assist medical providers in obtaining medical malpractice liability insurance coverage when coverage is difficult to find in the market.

Role and Responsibilities of MCAP

MCAP is a market assistance program and does not insure risks. The executive committee of MCAP, which is chosen from participating insurers and agents, will function solely as the recipient and distributor of applications. The goal of MCAP is to reduce availability problems of medical malpractice insurance in Ohio, but it does not guarantee that every risk will be placed.

Insurers interested in participating in the MCAP may contact Bob Kelley in the Department’s Office of Property and Casualty Services at (614) 644-3882 or via e-mail at robert.kelley@ins.state.oh.us. Physicians interested in utilizing MCAP to seek for coverage options should contact their agent or broker.

How Will MCAP Work?

Any Ohio domiciled risk unable to obtain coverage through one or more medical malpractice carriers is eligible for assistance by MCAP.

All completed applications are to be submitted to the executive committee by a licensed agent or broker. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

The executive committee will review applications submitted by a licensed Ohio agent or broker. Each application must be accompanied by a written request for assistance and a statement by an agent or broker that at least one insurance company has been contacted for insurance coverage and that coverage was not available from that company. When marketing applications, the Executive Committee may choose to:

1. Remarket to the present underwriter.

2. Try other admitted markets.

3. Try the excess and surplus lines markets.

In the event the coverage is placed through the plan with a request for assistance submitted by an agent not appointed by the insurer and the insurer assigns another agent to service the insured, the assigned agent shall pay the producing agent a fee from the commission.

Ohio Medical Coverage Assistance Program Application