Malpractice Insurance

Medical malpractice insurance, also called professional liability coverage, provides financial protection to health care professionals when patients claim poor care caused them harm. Most health care workers need this protection now, from doctors and nurses to midwives, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

You can purchase malpractice insurance as a standalone policy or through your employer's group plan. When patients file claims against you, your coverage takes care of legal defense costs and any settlements or judgments up to your policy limits.

Not every lawsuit against a health care professional becomes a malpractice claim. Understanding your coverage gaps matters. You could face thousands in legal bills if you don't know the exclusions:

When choosing professional malpractice insurance coverage amounts, consider your specialty's lawsuit risk and practice setting. High-risk specialties like surgery face bigger payouts than family medicine, while solo practitioners typically need more coverage than hospital-employed doctors with institutional backup.

Your location and personal assets also matter. New York allows unlimited jury awards, while Texas caps non-economic damages at $250,000 per health care provider. If you have substantial assets to protect, you'll want coverage limits that match what you could lose in a lawsuit.

Malpractice insurance decisions become clearer when you know what financial protection you're getting and what you're not. This coverage handles claims from diagnostic errors and medication mistakes, but you'll need separate policies for cybersecurity breaches and premises liability. Choosing the right amount depends on balancing your specialty's risk level with your practice setting, location and assets.

Health care professionals ask similar questions about malpractice insurance. We answer the most frequently asked questions here: