Medical Malpractice Insurance: What is Happening in Florida

Dan Frith

Contributor

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Talk with almost any doctor and they will quickly tell you that they are forced to practice defensive medicine due to the fear of being sued. With the next breath they will tell you the cost of their malpractice coverage is outrageous and the result of greedy patients and their medical malpractice lawyers who are too quick to sue! Take these complaints with a grain of salt!

Let's look at Florida as an example of what is happening. Medical malpractice costs have been falling for more than two years, in some cases premiums have dropped about 20 percent. That is a pretty big drop so it makes it hard to agree that the cost of malpractice insurance is driving doctors out of business! What about the number of filed medical malpractice lawsuits? The latest data shows fewer and fewer patients are rushing to the courthouse. FPIC Insurance Group, the dominant malpractice carrier in Florida, had an historic low number of claims filed in 2006 -- just 1,641 claims compared to over 3,000 in 2003.

What does all of this mean? Well, at least in Florida, doctors are not being run out of the state due to ever increasing malpractice premiums. Secondly, the medical malpractice insurers are making a killing!

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Medical Malpractice and Negligent Care.