Hey agents, time to shake off the weekend and dive into what’s been popping in the med-mal insurance scene over the last week, ending April 6, 2025. We’ve got carrier updates, a monster U.S. payout, and cases that could tweak your clients’ risk profiles.
This is your no-BS rundown—stuff you can use to sharpen your pitch and keep your docs covered. Let’s roll!
No earth-shattering carrier moves this week—ProAssurance, Coverys, and the usual suspects are holding their ground.
But the premium creep hasn’t let up. That AMA report from February still echoes: nearly 50% of med-mal rates spiked from 2023 to 2024, and March didn’t buck the trend.
Underwriters are digging deeper into loss histories, especially for surgical specialties and multi-provider setups. Word from the trenches says renewals are averaging 5–10% hikes for clean risks, more if claims are lurking. For you, it’s a grind—shop those A-rated carriers hard and lean on your binding authority to keep terms sane.
On April 4, LA County locked in a historic $4B tentative settlement, tackling nearly 7,000 claims of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers and foster homes, dating back to 1959.
It’s not textbook med-mal—no scalpels or stethoscopes here—but it’s a gut punch for any operation tied to healthcare-adjacent risks like county facilities. Triggered by a 2020 California law uncapping old claims, this monster alleges systemic abuse by staff, spotlighting places like MacLaren Children’s Center.
The county’s digging into reserves and bonds through 2050 to pay up.
Agents, this screams Sexual Abuse and Molestation (SAM) coverage. Your clients in public health—think counselors, clinic staff, or anyone near youth services—need this bolted onto their policies. Without it, they’re naked against claims like these, and carriers might jack. Source: Law 360
An Iowa chiropractor, Allan Novak Jr., threw in the towel on his license March 31 after a malpractice settlement blew up. Back in 2022, his insurer paid out over a 2018 patient care claim, and the Iowa Board of Chiropractic nailed him for not reporting it quickly enough.
No dollar figure’s were made public, but the fallout is clear—his clinic’s finished. Agents, this screams “disclosure duty” to your allied health clients. Make sure their policies cover regulatory defense—boards don’t mess around, and neither should you.
Source: Iowa Capital Dispatch
Montana’s legislature kept the med-mal pot simmering this week. Those bills from early March—capping juror damage awards and tightening licensure complaint rules—cleared more hurdles by April 4.
They’re not law yet, but they’re breezing through votes, backed by hospitals and insurers itching to curb payouts. If they stick, expect lower severity in Big Sky Country, but it’ll squeeze plaintiffs hard.
For you, it’s a mixed bag: softer claims might ease rates, but out-of-state carriers could rethink Montana risks. Start prepping clients in bordering states—cross-border care is a wildcard.
Source: Montana Free Press
That’s your March 31–April 6 scoop. The med-mal game is still a pressure cooker—big verdicts, picky carriers, and regulations that bite. Keep your clients ahead of the curve, and let’s stack those wins.