Mississippi Medical Malpractice Insurance

• Most Common Limits of Liability: $1 million/$3 million
• Major Malpractice Insurers:
  • Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi Inc.
  • Healthcare Providers Insurance Co. (RRG)
  • Caregivers United Liability Insurance Co.
  • Hudson Specialty Insurance Co.
  • State Volunteer Mutual
• Cost of Medical Malpractice Insurance: Low

Mississippi currently enjoys a stable medical malpractice landscape, with fairly low premiums, but this wasn’t always the case. Prior to reforms enacted late in 2002, Mississippi had such high malpractice insurance rates that some physicians were retiring early or moving to states with better liability climates, causing a physician shortage in many parts of the state. Rural areas were hit hardest; most cities with a population under 20,000 had no access to an obstetrician and specialists were becoming increasingly scarce. Since passing reforms, the situation has slowly been improving in Mississippi. According to a 2015 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Mississippi currently has the fewest active physicians per capita of any state, at only 184.7 physicians per 100,000 residents. But, this is a substantial improvement from the AAMC’s 2011 report, which showed only 159.4 active physicians per 100,000 residents in Mississippi.

During a special session of the state legislature called in late 2002, Mississippi passed a slew of reforms to help ameliorate the problem of high liability rates and resulting physician shortages. The ensuing legislation, House Bill 2 (HB2) included a $500,000 cap on noneconomic damages, required plaintiffs to give defendants 60-days written notice before filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, abolished joint liability for noneconomic damages for defendants found to be less than 30 percent at fault and required plaintiff attorneys to consult with an expert prior to filing a claim. A separate bill passed during the same session, House Bill 19 (HB 19) ended the practice of venue shopping in Mississippi.

In a 2004 special session, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour ushered a comprehensive civil justice reform bill through the state legislature. House Bill 13 (HB 13) expanded the 2002 medical liability reforms through provisions such as a “hard limit” of $500,000 on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice court cases, removing exceptions for piercing the cap that were part of the original legislation. Additionally, HB13 further tightened the requirements against venue shopping and completely abolished joint liability for all defendants.

• Damage Caps? Yes, noneconomic damages are capped at $500,000.
• Patient Compensation Fund? No
• Apology Law? No
• Collateral Source Reform? No
• Periodic Payments? Not mandated
• Joint Liability Reform? Yes, defendants are responsible only for their portion of negligence, unless they consciously or deliberately pursued a common plan or design to commit a tortious act or take actively take part in one.
• Limits on Plaintiff Attorney’s Fees? No

Overview

Medical malpractice rates in Mississippi are low. Since medical liability reforms were passed more than 10 years ago, once-high premiums in Mississippi have decreased significantly. Currently, premiums are either holding steady or falling.

Get Historic Rates

By combining our efforts with those of the Medical Liability Monitor – the nation’s leading independent source of Medical Liability Insurance news, as well as the political, legal and risk management issues that affect the healthcare industry – we’ve published historic rate data for every county in the Magnolia State. You can view all the rates by completing the three simple steps on the left of this page. You’ll find the insights offered by this information invaluable when making your decision on your medical malpractice insurance coverage and carriers. This is only one of the many reasons that Cunningham Group Insurance has become the preferred online source for Mississippi physicians, healthcare professionals and medical groups looking to find the best coverage and lower their medical malpractice insurance rates.

Coverage by Mississippi County

Rates are constant across Mississippi’s 82 counties, with physicians in populous counties like Hinds and Harrison paying the same low rates as doctors in more rural areas.

Mississippi State Medical Association
Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure
Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association
Mississippi Division of Medicaid
MSU Advanced Health Care Directive
All MD Mississippi Healthcare Defense Attorney Listing