Medical Malpractice Insurance
Medical Malpractice Insurance
Medical Malpractice Insurance is a necessity for healthcare providers. We tell people that health insurance is a necessity, why? Because it covers them if something unexpected happens, well that reasoning goes for providers also. It helps to cover a situation that isn’t necessarily supposed to happen, but does. Providers are normally well trained, but as we all know the body and medicine can do funny things and what was to be a “routine” surgery or illness has now caused a disfigurement in someone or even possibly a death. Although the definition of medical malpractice is defined as more than just an “accident” it is defined as an act or omission by a health care provider which deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and which causes injury to the patient. Simply put, medical malpractice is professional negligence that causes an injury.
Our society has become so lawsuit happy that through the years frivolous lawsuits have come through the court system and plaintiffs have walked away with an “uncapped” amount of money to “compensate” them for their loss. With these kinds of things happening through the years the medical malpractice trends have been premiums doubling, deductibles tripling, and insurers are not selling the product anymore. Back in the 1990’s insurers were driven more by the premium amount they could sell more so than by whether the premiums were adequate to pay the losses. The ideal world would be for the investment income would cover any deficiencies that exist in the underwriting result. As competition increased, underwriting results deteriorated and the fact is if insurance policies are consistently underpriced, the insurer loses money.
Every state has different requirements for healthcare professional’s malpractice insurance. An example might be Florida does not require physicians to carry malpractice insurance coverage. Even though the state may not require malpractice
Medical Malpractice Insurance is a necessity for healthcare providers. We tell people that health insurance is a necessity, why? Because it covers them if something unexpected happens, well that reasoning goes for providers also. It helps to cover a situation that isn’t necessarily supposed to happen, but does. Providers are normally well trained, but as we all know the body and medicine can do funny things and what was to be a “routine” surgery or illness has now caused a disfigurement in someone or even possibly a death. Although the definition of medical malpractice is defined as more than just an “accident” it is defined as an act or omission by a health care provider which deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and which causes injury to the patient. Simply put, medical malpractice is professional negligence that causes an injury.
Our society has become so lawsuit happy that through the years frivolous lawsuits have come through the court system and plaintiffs have walked away with an “uncapped” amount of money to “compensate” them for their loss. With these kinds of things happening through the years the medical malpractice trends have been premiums doubling, deductibles tripling, and insurers are not selling the product anymore. Back in the 1990’s insurers were driven more by the premium amount they could sell more so than by whether the premiums were adequate to pay the losses. The ideal world would be for the investment income would cover any deficiencies that exist in the underwriting result. As competition increased, underwriting results deteriorated and the fact is if insurance policies are consistently underpriced, the insurer loses money.
Every state has different requirements for healthcare professional’s malpractice insurance. An example might be Florida does not require physicians to carry malpractice insurance coverage. Even though the state may not require malpractice
References: Kolodkin, C., & Greve, P. (2007, January). Medical Malpractice:The High Cost of Meritless Claims. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from International Risk Management Institute: http://www.irmi.com/expert/articles/2007/kolodkin01.aspx Malpractice Insurance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2011, from American Academy of Physician Assistants: http://www.aapa.org/advocacy-and-practice-resources/practice- resources/malpractice-insurance Scholasticus, K. (2010, September 28). Medical Malpractice Insurance Rates. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/medical-malpractice-insurance-rates.html