The new medical malpractice crisis.

A major medical malpractice crisis is unfolding in the United States today. In the last two years, professional liability insurance premiums have increased dramatically for physicians in high-risk specialties such as obstetrics, emergency medicine, general surgery, surgical subspecialties, and radiology in states across the country. Many states have seen the departure of insurance carriers that had held very substantial market shares, leaving thousands of physicians scrambling to find alternative coverage. This article briefly summarizes the leading hypotheses about the drivers of the crisis, examines the impacts on providers and patient access to care, and reviews the main policy solutions proposed by state and federal governments.