General Surgeons offer high-risk care and need practical medical malpractice insurance policies to ensure their financial protection.
General surgeons are an essential part of the healthcare team and play a critical role in treating common illnesses that can be resolved with surgery. Due to the abundance of malpractice lawsuits and the high-risk nature of surgery, general surgeons tend to pay high malpractice insurance premiums.
The best way to make sure you are protected from the potential financial disaster of a medical malpractice lawsuit is by maintaining robust malpractice insurance from an A-rated carrier.
General Surgeon Medical Malpractice Insurance Rates
Rates for general surgeons tend to cost more than a physician’s average policy but less than other surgical specialties, like neurosurgeons. General surgeon insurance rates are expected to increase due to growing claims payouts and rising legal defense costs. Surgeons should periodically re-evaluate their current malpractice insurance program with a broker to ensure they have the right coverage at the lowest available rates.
Premiums for general surgeons are affected by a variety of factors including types of procedures offered, experience, claims history, and location. Mature claims-made estimates below are for informational purposes only. To get your personalized rate estimate, please request a quote.
| State | City | Premium Estimate | Limits of Liability |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Birmingham | $55,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| AR | Little Rock | $55,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| AZ | Phoenix | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| CA | Los Angeles | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| CO | Denver | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| CT | Bridgeport | $65,000 | $1,000,000/$4,000,000 |
| DE | Wilmington | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| DC | Washington DC | $95,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| FL* | Miami | $90,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| FL* | Miami | $75,000 | $250,000/$750,000 |
| GA | Atlanta | $65,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| HI | Honolulu | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| IA | Des Moines | $50,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| ID | Boise | $45,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| IL | Chicago | $105,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| KS | Wichita | $50,000 + KS HCSF | $200,000/$600,000 |
| KY | Louisville | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| IN | Indianapolis | $50,000 + IN PCF | $250,000/$750,000 |
| LA | New Orleans | $50,000 + LA PCF | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MA | Boston | $45,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MD | Baltimore | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| ME | Portland | $55,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MI | Detroit | $80,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MO | St. Louis | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MN | Minneapolis | $45,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MS | Jackson | $85,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| MT | Billings | $80,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| NC | Charlotte | $55,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| ND | Fargo | $45,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| NE | Omaha | $45,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| NH | Manchester | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| NM** | Albuquerque | $35,000 + NM PCF | $200,000/600,000 |
| NJ | Newark | $75,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| NV | Las Vegas | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| NY | Manhattan, NY | $145,000 | $1,300,000/$3,900,000 |
| OH | Columbus | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| OK | Oklahoma City | $65,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| OR | Portland | $50,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| PA | Philadelphia | $70,000 + MCARE | $500,000/$1,500,000 |
| RI | Providence | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| SC | Charleston | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| SD | Sioux Falls | $45,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| TN | Nashville | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| TX* | Houston | $50,000 | $200,000/$600,000 |
| TX* | Houston | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| UT | Salt Lake City | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| VA | Virginia Beach | $60,000 | $2,500,000/$7,500,000 |
| VT | Burlington | $50,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| WA | Seattle | $60,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| WI | Milwaukee | $45,000 + PCF | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| WV | Charleston | $80,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
| WY | Cheyenne | $70,000 | $1,000,000/$3,000,000 |
*These states offer limit options
** Only Occurrence; no Claims-Made coverage
Why General Surgeons Need Medical Malpractice Insurance
General Surgeons have some of the highest medical liability claim frequencies among physicians. They tend to be sued for abnormal injury, failure to diagnose, and failure to treat. According to Medscape, general surgeons also report being sued for:
Most physicians will face a lawsuit during their career, and general surgeons are among the most frequently sued. In the Medscape survey, 83% of general surgeons had reported being sued, with 23% reporting they were the only parties named in the suit. In addition, the American Medical Association indicates that the older a physician gets, the more likely they are to experience a malpractice claim, with male general surgeons at a slightly higher risk of a lawsuit.
The right medical malpractice insurance will protect you from multiple factors in the event of a lawsuit. These are:
Federal law does not require surgeons to carry malpractice insurance. Whether or not general surgeons are required to have insurance is dependent upon the state in which they practice, but most hospitals require malpractice insurance if surgeons want admitting privileges.
How General Surgeons Can Reduce the Risk of Malpractice
The stress of being sued is a very damaging experience, even if there’s no payment to the patient. It can take years to decades to close a case, and the worry that general surgeons feel plus the potential resulting damage to their reputations can make some doctors want to leave the practice altogether. Fortunately, there are steps that general surgeons can take to reduce the risk of ever having to defend themselves in court.