What is the healthcare crisis Florida is facing?
Floridians are rapidly losing access to quality and affordable healthcare because physicians are faced with the rising costs of Healthcare Liability Insurance (HLI).

What is Healthcare Liability Insurance?
Healthcare Liability Insurance is also known as malpractice insurance. This insurance protects patients in the event an unfavorable outcome occurs due to a physician’s negligence.

Why is the Healthcare Liability Insurance crisis happening?
HLI premiums have become outrageously expensive because the companies that provide the insurance to physicians have to pay for multi-million dollar lawsuits or settle cases they would otherwise take to trial because it may be less expensive. Many lawsuits stem from outcomes patients may not be satisfied with even though the physician did everything correctly. These enormous payouts have caused a rise in HLI premiums to over 350% for Obstetricians (doctors who deliver babies) and many other specialists.

Why have Healthcare Liability suits become so expensive?
In the past ten years Florida juries have increased the amounts of money they are awarding for non – economic damages or for damages due to “pain and suffering.” In many cases they have awarded millions of dollars for “pain and suffering” in addition to the monies they have awarded to cover the economic costs of the patient’s past and future medical care. In most healthcare liability suits, over half of the settlement or award money goes to pay for legal fees and expenses and not to the patient. These factors have dramatically driven up the costs of lawsuits. People are also suing for such high amounts of money because of the mistaken belief that doctors and hospitals have a lot of money. Unfortunately, many hospitals and physician offices have been forced to close their doors because they can no longer afford to practice in Florida.

What will happen if the Healthcare Liability Insurance premiums continue to rise?
Physicians are already feeling the effects of these soaring prices and have been forced to limit their services to patients. If premiums continue to rise, many physicians will not be able to perform complicated or “high risk” procedures, buy new equipment, hire new staff, or even continue to practice medicine in Florida. If this happens, you will have to travel farther, wait longer and pay much more for the healthcare you need and deserve.

Is there any way to keep Florida’s access to quality and affordable healthcare?
California has enacted laws that limit payouts for HLI cases. These laws ensure that patients have the right to sue for negligence, but the amounts won in these cases are kept reasonable. Right now, Florida policymakers are debating reforms that will help lower HLI premiums and keep Floridian’s access to quality and affordable healthcare. Please contact your policymakers and tell them that you want them to enact reforms to help your doctors provide the right care for today and the future.