On November 3, 2017, the Director of the Department of Insurance approved the recommendation to increase the surcharge to the Excess Liability fund to 40% for 2018, up from 26% in 2017. This change was necessary due to an increase in the number of claims reported to the fund the past 12 months, along with an increase in the severity of cases closed. The NMA continues to monitor the activity of the Hospital Medical Liability Act and the Excess Liability Fund.