Medical malpractice insurance: a multifaceted problem

Medical malpractice insurance: a multifaceted problem.

I laud Dr. DeMaria’s efforts in summarizing the issues surrounding the medical malpractice crisis in the November issue of the Journal (1). However, I am struck by the lack of courage of state medical licensing boards in not advocating for stronger laws, policies, and procedures to focus on the 5% of physicians responsible for 50% malpractice payouts. Whereas the medical profession should be co...

Understanding medical malpractice insurance: a primer.

As the policy debate over the medical malpractice insurance crisis continues, dueling claims about its causes and suggestions for policy solutions have highlighted the need for a better understanding of how medical malpractice insurance works, why premiums change and what can be done about it. This primer on malpractice insurance discusses these issues and also analyzes the causes of and potent...

Liability and liability insurance for medical malpractice.

Physicians typically carry virtually complete malpractice insurance coverage. This contradicts standard theoretical predictions that under a negligence rule of liability there should be no demand for insurance, and insurance policies under moral hazard will contain co-payment provisions. It is argued that judicial 'errors' in defining negligence generate a demand for liability and legal defense...

Medical Malpractice and the Insurance Underwriting Cycle

The medical malpractice insurance crisis, again.

The real crisis presented by the breakdown of our medical malpractice litigation and insurance system is that the wrong people are getting most of the money. Often, the people who sue have substantial injuries but dubious liability claims, while many people with legitimate claims can't even assert them. As a result, many doctors are angry and resentful toward patients who bring frivolous claims...