According to a press release from the American Medical Association on April 27, 2026:

“New research studies from the American Medical Association (AMA) reveal that many physicians face a significant risk of being sued during their careers. The ever-present risk of lawsuits—even when no error occurred—and high medical liability insurance premiums have contributed to a prolonged period of heavy financial burden on doctors, fueling escalating expenses throughout the health care system.

In the first of two research reports, the AMA studied medical liability claim frequency (PDF) among patient care physicians in the U.S. between 2016 and 2024. The findings show the risk of being sued increases with years in practice, and medical specialty and gender are also prominent factors. Key findings from the research include:

  • Physicians with more years of practice have more exposure to risk. Nearly half (45.2 percent) of physicians aged 55 and over had been sued, compared to 11 percent of physicians under the age of 45.
  • Surgical specialties carry the highest risk. Nearly three in five (59.6 percent) obstetricians & gynecologists and about half (53.1 percent) of general surgeons have been sued at least once in their career.
  • Among obstetricians & gynecologists and general surgeons aged 55 and over, nearly three out of four have been sued at least once in their careers.
  • Claim frequency against physicians has fallen over time. Less than a third of physicians (28.7 percent) had been sued during their careers in 2024, down from a share of 34 percent in 2016.

In the second research report, the AMA studied annual changes in medical liability insurance premiums (PDF) between 2016 and 2025. The findings reveal that the premiums for liability insurance have increased nationwide for the seventh consecutive year, marking the most prolonged upward trend since the early 2000s. Key findings from the research include:

  • The trend in sustained premium growth began after 2018. The share of premiums that increased year-over-year rose sharply from 13.7 percent in 2018 to 39.9 percent in 2025.
  • Physicians in certain states are more impacted than others. In 2025, 36 states saw at least one premium increase, and 18 states had at least half of their reported premiums rise.
  • Eleven states had at least one premium grow by 10 percent or more in 2025. Five of these states – Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, and New York – experienced large premium increases in both 2024 and 2025.
  • Higher premiums are observed for obstetrics & gynecology and general surgery compared to internal medicine, reflecting greater liability risk.
  • Premiums in California are significantly lower than in other states, attributed to caps on non-economic damages.”

Source

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