With millions of newly insured patients expected to fill up the waiting rooms of doctors' offices as healthcare reform is implemented, medical malpractice insurers may have reason for concern about the law's impact on liability trends.
The catalyst for increased utilization is the controversial mandate included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)—better known as “Obamacare”—requiring all individuals to have health insurance starting in 2014, or pay a penalty via their federal income tax form. Subsidies will be made available to help those with affordability issues, and Medicaid is being expanded in most states as well.
In my blog of Oct. 2, I examined the possible spillover effect of the law on workers' compensation, due to concerns about possible delays in delivery of medical care. But there are potentially game-changing implications for professional liability carriers as well, both positive and negative.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
