Illinois Surgeons 2025 Buying Guide to Medical Malpractice Insurance

Surgeons in Illinois have great options for obtaining medical malpractice insurance. We recommend carriers rated “A” by A.M. Best. These companies are A-rated because of their long-term financial solvency and a history of providing robust financial and legal support for Illinois surgeons. Some of the top carriers include:

Save time and effort by getting a wide range of A-rated carrier quotes through MEDPLI as a single point of contact. Get a quote with us today.

Illinois law does not mandate that surgeons in private practice carry medical malpractice insurance. Be aware, however, that the total medical malpractice payout in Illinois was $148,628,000 in 2022.

MEDPLI recommends carrying medical malpractice insurance from an A-rated carrier. It’s the most cost-effective way to protect yourself and your practice from devastating personal financial loss in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

• The standard limits of liability in Illinois are $1,000,000 for Each Claim / $3,000,000 Aggregate per year in coverage. However, surgeons in high-risk specialties typically need more malpractice coverage.
• Most Illinois hospitals and health centers require private practice surgeons to carry medical malpractice insurance if they want admitting privileges.

Talk to the hospital’s medical staff office to confirm the requirements of your coverage limits so MEDPLI can accommodate your coverage needs.

Each carrier uses its proprietary methods of setting rates, which vary among carriers and specialties. Carriers typically look at the practice location, surgical specialty, and past claims history. In Illinois, the areas that carry the highest rates are Chicago (Cook County); Madison, and St. Clair Counties (Metro East Illinois counties adjacent to the Greater St. Louis, MO, area).

Each malpractice insurance policy is underwritten individually, but the following are approximate rates across all Illinois areas to give you an idea of costs by high-risk specialty.

Also, if you need tail insurance coverage as a contracted surgeon changing jobs, you may need more coverage than the minimum required by your hospital. MEDPLI specializes in both medical malpractice insurance and tail insurance coverage for Illinois surgeons, so reach out to us for a personalized quote based on your unique needs.

Get a quote.

Since most malpractice insurance policies are underwritten on a claims-made basis, you will be exposed to a lawsuit if a former patient files a claim against you and you do not secure Tail Coverage. When you are preparing to leave your employer, you should seek tail coverage options with an independent broker like MEDPLI.  

Tail insurance covers you for a specific period. The new employer’s policy is not going to cover you for prior acts of a former practice, hence tail coverage is needed.  

Read more about tail malpractice insurance and how a MEDPLI broker can help you get the best coverage and rates. Every surgeon’s situation is unique, so we recommend a conversation to gain an understanding of your unique scenario.

With no caps on economic and non-economic damages, Illinois malpractice laws make surgeons more vulnerable to personal financial loss if they don’t have malpractice insurance or have inadequate coverage. Here are some of the most common iatrogenic patient injuries that have been named in medical malpractice lawsuits against surgeons practicing in high-risk specialties:

• Neurosurgery – Claims relating to laminectomy surgeries (anterior cervical fusion and posterior lumbar fusion), including improper performance of surgery, retained foreign body, delay in surgery, and unnecessary surgery.
• Bariatric Surgery – Lack of identifying and treating complications of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy; and bowel perforation during surgery.
• Orthopedic Surgery – Post-operative implant and prosthesis infections; sciatic nerve injury in hip replacements; deep vein thrombosis developing into pulmonary embolism.
• OB/GYN Surgery – Birth injuries caused by improper use of medical devices or techniques; profound brain injuries at birth; misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of fetal distress.
• Plastic Surgery – Improper performance and poor outcomes of higher-risk elective cosmetic surgeries; surgical errors and negligence regarding post-operative infections, bad facial filler injections, uneven breast augmentations, and visible scarring.
• General Surgery – Surgical errors, such as when surgery is performed on the wrong body part, or when a sponge or surgical instrument is left in the patient’s body leading to a post-operative complication or death; failing to close a bleeding vein or artery.

Check out the MEDPLI Medical Malpractice Insurance Blog for articles that discuss ways that private practice surgeons can best manage the risk of being sued for malpractice, as well as other information on medical malpractice insurance trends and legislation.

Over recent years, there has been much back and forth on tort reform in Illinois. In 2005, the state implemented damage caps on non-economic “pain and suffering” injuries of $500,000 for doctors and $1 million for hospitals. However, the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the cap on payouts for non-economic injuries as unconstitutional.

Illinois currently has no limit on compensation for economic and non-economic patient injuries as a result of malpractice. However, Illinois does not allow rewards for punitive damages in medical malpractice lawsuits.

According to state law, the conditions for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in Illinois are:

Note that the statute of limitations for medical malpractice can be complex and can vary from case to case. Consulting with MEDPLI brokers who understand the ins and outs of this system is an important part of protecting your medical practice with the right medical malpractice insurance coverage.

Working with MEDPLI as your trusted broker takes the guesswork and effort out of trying to get the right coverage at the best rate on your own. We help you save time and money by:

MEDPLI insurance brokers are ready to help you navigate the complexities of Illinois’s medical malpractice laws and secure the right amount of coverage for your orthopedic surgery practice. From submitting your application, obtaining the best rates for new policies and renewals from A-rated carriers, and more, MEDPLI is the only medical malpractice insurance broker you’ll need.

Reach out to MEDPLI to ensure you have more than adequate medical malpractice coverage for your private surgical practice in Illinois. We also help contracted surgeons secure tail coverage when changing jobs. 

Whether you’re a neurosurgeon in Chicago, an OB/GYN specialist in Naperville, or a general surgeon in a Metro East Illinois county, MEDPLI brokers will help you obtain coverage from an A-rated carrier.