Report: Illinois leads in number of medical liability premium increases

Illinois had the greatest count of medical liability premium increases in the country for each of the past three years, according to a recent report from the American Medical Association.

Per the report, Illinois led a list of 15 states with the largest proportion of premiums that increased 10 percent or more. Over 60 percent of premiums in Illinois rose by double digits.

Mark Shanberg, a partner and medical liability attorney at the law firm Tyson & Mendes’ Chicago office, said he believed the increases “are correlated to the fact that there’s a substantial increase in what’s called nuclear verdicts,” or jury awards that do not always correlate to the case.

Dr. Rodney Alford, the president of the Illinois State Medical Society, said the state historically has not been open to tort reforms.

“Illinois continues to have one of the most difficult medical liability environments in the country,” he said in a statement. “Three times in recent decades the Illinois General Assembly passed tort liability reform in support of fairness for physicians and hospitals, and three times Illinois courts overturned those reforms.”

Boosts in medical liability premiums are not the only factor contributing to heightening medical liability costs in the state, according to Alford.

“There is also the impact of the harmful prejudgment interest law passed by the state Legislature in 2021 at the behest of the Illinois plaintiff lawyers. That measure alone is unnecessarily driving up the cost of Illinois medical liability expense and hindering patients’ access to the quality care they deserve,” he said.

– Elizabeth Casolo for Health News Illinois