What if you were a teenager and decided to save some money for higher education after high school. You were working jobs after school and on weekends and by your senior year you had some nice little nest egg for yourself for college. Your parents, who really always wanted to get a pool, decided that you have a surplus in your account and basically confiscate the money. You get pissed but your parents say they were within their granted powers due to their own financial crisis. Sounds ridiculous? Well, check out what the Governor did in Pennsylvania. Physicians and other health care professionals contribute annually to Mcare, the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund, which subsidizes half of the $1 million in insurance coverage doctors are required to carry. This money was set aside to cover any outstanding liability claims and bring down the costs of malpractice. This is a state, by the way, that doctors were leaving in droves due to that high malpractice insurance coverage. Last October, Governor Rendell and his cronies approved a transfer of what they call excessive funds in this liability pool to finance other areas of the state's needs. They feel they can "appropriate" state money as they see fit. In other words, what's yours is mine. Luckily, the doctors sued and the state court rejected Rendell's claims. The Governor is appealing. The funny thing about this is that I bet that this money is all gone now and in order to get it back the Governor will need to tax someone......like these same doctors. It would be like the teenager above having to sue his parents in order to get his money back for college only for them to demand he pay his rent for the past 18 years.
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