Yes I'm a physician. No I don't have malpractice insurance.
- snitzoid
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
I've never regretted pursuing plastic surgery as my sub specialty. I don't do breast enhancements...
Docs want malpractice payouts capped
By Maya Goldman, Axios News
May 4, 2026
Rising liability insurance costs are prompting doctors to call on states to impose more limits on the damages patients can collect in malpractice cases.
Why it matters: More than half of the states have enacted malpractice payout limits, in an effort to make insurance premiums more predictable.
But groups led by the American Medical Association say that without more relief, physicians will relocate from high-cost states, leaving patients with fewer care options.
State of play: About 40% of medical liability premiums increased from 2024 to 2025, according to an analysis the AMA released last week.
It marked the seventh consecutive year that premiums rose, even though the share of physicians sued fell during that time, according to a separate AMA study.
The effects were pronounced in states like New York and Pennsylvania, where more than 90% of liability premiums increased last year.
Pennsylvania's surge comes after the state loosened the rules for bringing medical malpractice lawsuits in 2023, in response to a ruling from its supreme court.
Zoom in: Higher liability premiums typically fall on doctors in specialties like OB-GYN and general surgeons, who are sued more often.
They are paying nearly $244,000 in Miami-Dade County, Florida, this year, compared with about $60,000 for internal medicine doctors, per AMA.
In New Jersey, a lower-premium state, OB-GYNs pay about $94,600, while internists pay $18,410.
The high cost of insuring OB-GYNs is factoring in maternity services closures across the country.
What they're saying: AMA President Bobby Mukkamala says the latest data should be a wake-up call to states that haven't enacted caps in response to high jury verdicts.
New Mexico overhauled its malpractice laws earlier this year, establishing a tiered system that caps punitive damages at different levels for independent physicians and clinics, locally owned hospitals and corporate health systems.
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