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Arizona Medical Malpractice Insurance
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Physicians practicing in Arizona have long struggled to overcome the high cost of
medical malpractice insurance there. With no caps on damage awards or attorney fees,
Arizona’s malpractice insurance premiums are currently among the highest in the
nation. A series of tort reform initiatives designed to address these issues and
help provide rate relief to physicians fell short in the Arizona legislature in
2007. However new options are now available to AZ doctors when it comes to liability insurance.
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Now Available - New Carrier in Arizona - Lower Premiums
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A new A-Rated carrier has entered the Arizona market giving doctors a new
choice and lower rates when it comes to medical liability insurance.
Submit your Free No-Obligation Quote today and get the best rates as well
as expert advice from an experienced malpractice insurance professional
who works for you. It's quick, easy to do and a free quote could save you money!
Highlights include:
- New to Practice Discounts available
- Claim Free Discounts available
- Prior Acts coverage is included
- Switch anytime - there is no need to wait until your renewal date
- Compare quotes from multiple carriers to get the best deal for you
- Experienced, trusted insurance professionals who can advise and guide you
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Med Mal Rates for Arizona (2007)
Until now doctors in Arizona had limited choices when it came to med mal carriers.
The following table shows the approximate lower and upper ranges that Arizona physicians paid
in 2007 for medical malpractice insurance in three speciality areas.
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State |
Internal Medicine |
General Surgery |
OB \ GYN |
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Arizona
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$18,200 - $27,350
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$56,850 - $102,580
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$72,725 - $116,500
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Source: Medical Liability Monitor 2007 Rate Survey. The rates shown above should not be interpreted as the actual premiums an individual Arizona physician pays for coverage.
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Tort Reform in Arizona: Will 2008 be the year?
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In the Arizona Medical
Association’s (ArMA) 2007 legislative report (PDF format), some momentum toward
medical liability reform was noted during the 2007 session. But concrete action
itself continues to remain elusive.
Recent measures aimed at tort reform came up short.
S1032: Burden of Proof; Emergency Treatment was a bill that proposed to raise
the burden of proof in a medical malpractice case involving emergency treatment
from “preponderance of evidence” to “clear and convincing evidence”. The bill passed
the Arizona Senate but narrowly failed in the House.
S1505: Expert Opinion Testimony; Admissibility was a bill placed before the
legistature in 2007 that proposed to implement the Daubert decision in Arizona. The Daubert
decision establishes criteria to evaluate whether expert witnesses are using validated,
peer-reviewed scientific infomation or so-called "junk science" in their testimony.
ArMA noted in their legislative report that they felt this bill would "help weed
out frivolous suits by stopping invalid expert testimony". The bill failed to make
it out of a Senate committee, stalling on a 13-13 vote, but its supporters see this
as progress and are looking to redraft the bill in a more robust format and reintroduce
it in a future session.
With 2008 being a re-election year it is uncertain how this will affect the passage
of tort reform legislation in Arizona. It is likely that a "junk science" bill in
one form or another will be introduced. Check back here on CoverMD.com for updates
to medical liability tort reform in AZ.
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Issues facing Arizona Doctors
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Many would agree that physicians in the Grand Canyon State are in serious need of
rate relief and new options when it comes to medical liability. Their reimbursements
from Medicare and Medicaid are going down every year while the cost of doing business
as a doctor is going up every year. Many doctors in Arizona do a significant amount
of Medicaid work as part of their practice and with the health insurance crisis,
Blue Cross and United are not in a hurry to pay doctors more. For many Arizona doctors
their malpractice insurance premiums continue to trend upwards while their income
remains stagnant.
With premiums high and tort reform still unachieved in Arizona, there is a tendancy
for some physicians to regard malpractice insurance as unnecessary, and only obtain
it to meet the requirements of hospitals at which they want to practice. But going
bare means doctors can expose themselves to risk and monetary loss from even the
most frivolous of claims. On average it can take $27,000 to defend a frivolous case
and make it go away. Don't take the risk. With lower liability rates now available
in Arizona it is important to protect yourself against the possibility of malpractice
lawsuits.
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Disclaimer
All information in this article is provided is for informational purposes only and
should not be used as the basis for making a decision regarding medical malpractice
insurance. For expert advice from licensed insurance professionals serving the Arizona
medical malpractice insurance market please request a
Free No-Obligation Quote.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICE: ©Copyright, 2008. NJSave LLC. All rights reserved.
No portion of this material may be used in any form whatsoever without the advance written
permission of NJSave LLC.
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