Issue 8: January 2006

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 potential solutions to address malpractice crises.

Some Key Questions Addressed in This Issue:

• How does medical malpractice insurance work?
• How much do we spend on the malpractice system?
• What is a medical malpractice “crisis”?
• What causes malpractice crises?