Quick Takeaway
Finishing residency or fellowship is a major career milestone—but it also means taking greater responsibility for your own professional liability protection.
The AMA notes that physicians transitioning out of residency or fellowship need to understand medical professional liability insurance, particularly as coverage previously handled by a training program may change when they enter independent practice.
For new doctors, five providers worth comparing in 2026 are:
| Provider | Potential Fit |
|---|---|
| The Doctors Company | Broad physician-focused coverage and risk management |
| MedPro Group | Large, established medical professional liability carrier |
| Coverys | Risk management and physician education |
| ProAssurance | Medical professional liability expertise; now part of The Doctors Company |
| CNA | Large commercial insurer with a significant medical professional liability presence |
This isn’t a universal ranking. Availability, underwriting and pricing vary substantially by state, specialty, claims history, practice setting and coverage limits.
There is also an important 2026 market change: The Doctors Company completed its acquisition of ProAssurance on June 26, 2026.
Why New Doctors Need Malpractice Insurance
Medical malpractice insurance—also called medical professional liability insurance—helps protect physicians against covered claims alleging that professional medical services caused patient injury.
A claim can involve allegations such as:
Misdiagnosis
Delayed diagnosis
Medication error
Surgical error
Failure to properly monitor
Failure to refer
Inadequate follow-up
or:
Other alleged professional negligence.
Even when a physician believes the care provided was appropriate, defending a malpractice lawsuit can involve significant legal expenses.
Professional liability coverage can therefore protect both:
your finances
and:
your medical career.
Don’t Assume Your Employer Has Everything Covered
A new physician joining a:
Hospital
Medical group
Clinic
or:
Healthcare system
may receive malpractice insurance through the employer.
But you still need to understand what you’re getting.
Ask:
Who is the insurer?
What are the policy limits?
Is it claims-made or occurrence coverage?
Who pays for tail coverage when I leave?
Does the policy cover moonlighting?
Do I have consent-to-settle rights?
Are defense costs inside or outside the limits?
These details can become extremely important later.
1. The Doctors Company
The Doctors Company is one of the most prominent physician-focused malpractice insurers in the United States.
The company describes itself as the country’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer and provides coverage for physicians, surgeons and other healthcare professionals.
For a new doctor, one major attraction is the company’s strong emphasis on:
Medical professional liability + patient safety + risk management + physician advocacy.
Why New Doctors May Consider It
The Doctors Company provides extensive educational and risk-management resources designed to help healthcare professionals reduce liability exposure.
That can be particularly useful when you’re moving from:
supervised residency
to:
independent clinical practice.
Your exposure changes dramatically once you’re responsible for your own:
Documentation
Patient communication
Clinical decisions
Follow-up
and:
Practice procedures.
2026 ProAssurance Acquisition
There is an important update for anyone comparing carriers.
The Doctors Company completed its acquisition of ProAssurance Corporation on June 26, 2026.
The companies have said the integration will be phased, so physicians currently insured through ProAssurance-related entities should review their specific renewal and policy documentation rather than assuming everything has immediately changed.
Potentially good for: Physicians wanting a large, physician-focused organization with extensive risk-management resources.
2. MedPro Group
MedPro Group is another major name in U.S. medical professional liability insurance.
Its Medical Protective Company is part of Berkshire Hathaway.
AM Best’s 2026 market ranking reported Berkshire Hathaway as the largest U.S. medical professional liability writer based on 2025 direct premiums written, with approximately $2.18 billion and 16% market share.
That’s substantial market presence.
Why New Physicians May Consider MedPro
For someone just beginning independent practice, an established medical-liability specialist can be attractive because malpractice insurance isn’t simply about receiving a claim payment.
Claims handling can involve:
Defense attorneys
Expert witnesses
Clinical evaluation
Settlement decisions
and potentially:
Years of litigation.
The insurer’s experience handling physician claims therefore deserves serious attention.
Potentially good for: Doctors who prioritize a large, established medical professional liability insurer backed by a major insurance organization.
3. Coverys
Coverys provides medical professional liability insurance for physicians and surgeons along with broader risk-management services.
Its physician offering includes:
Medical professional liability insurance
Risk-management resources
Claims-related services
Education
and other healthcare risk solutions.
Why It Can Appeal to New Doctors
One particularly useful feature for early-career physicians is Coverys’ emphasis on education.
The company specifically provides guidance for healthcare professionals who are:
Beginning their medical careers
or:
Launching practices.
That’s relevant because the first malpractice policy can be confusing.
New doctors need to understand concepts including:
Claims-made
Occurrence
Retroactive date
Prior-acts coverage
Tail coverage
Policy limits
and:
Consent to settle.
Potentially good for: New physicians who value education and proactive risk-management support in addition to insurance.
4. ProAssurance
ProAssurance has decades of experience in healthcare professional liability insurance.
But its position on a 2026 comparison needs context.
ProAssurance is now part of The Doctors Company.
The acquisition was completed on June 26, 2026.
That means I would not treat ProAssurance and The Doctors Company as completely independent competing insurance groups going forward.
However, existing ProAssurance products, entities and insured relationships remain relevant while integration proceeds.
What Existing ProAssurance Physicians Should Know
The Doctors Company says that if a physician with a ProAssurance Group claims-made policy renews with The Doctors Company, the renewal will include the physician’s retroactive date, meaning a separate extended reporting period would not be needed solely because of that transition. Individual circumstances and underwriting still matter.
That’s particularly important because continuity of the:
retroactive date
can be crucial under claims-made malpractice insurance.
Potentially good for: Physicians already insured within the ProAssurance ecosystem or considering available ProAssurance-related options during the integration.
5. CNA
CNA is a large commercial insurance organization with a significant presence in professional liability.
AM Best’s June 2026 ranking placed CNA Insurance Companies third among U.S. medical professional liability writers based on 2025 direct premiums written, at approximately $808.8 million.
CNA can therefore deserve consideration when a new physician or medical practice is comparing available professional-liability markets.
Its broader commercial-insurance capabilities can also be relevant to doctors who eventually operate practices requiring coverage beyond individual malpractice liability.
Potentially good for: Physicians and growing healthcare businesses interested in working with a large commercial insurer offering broader business-risk solutions.
How the Five Compare
| Provider | Key Strength | New Doctor Consideration |
|---|---|---|
| The Doctors Company | Physician-owned malpractice focus | Strong risk-management ecosystem |
| MedPro Group | Scale and long MPL history | Large established market presence |
| Coverys | Risk management and education | Helpful resources for early-career doctors |
| ProAssurance | Long healthcare-liability experience | Now owned by The Doctors Company |
| CNA | Large commercial insurer | Useful broader insurance capabilities |
Do not choose based on brand recognition alone.
Your actual:
Policy wording + limits + exclusions + claims provisions + premium
matter more.
Claims-Made vs. Occurrence Coverage
This is one of the first decisions a new physician needs to understand.
Claims-Made
A claims-made policy generally requires the policy to be active when the claim is made, subject to the policy’s terms and retroactive date.
When you leave the policy, you may need:
Extended Reporting Period coverage
commonly called:
Tail coverage.
The AMA specifically warns residents and fellows transitioning to practice to understand tail insurance because changing jobs can create significant financial consequences.
Occurrence
Occurrence coverage generally responds to a covered incident that occurred while the policy was active, even if the claim is filed later, subject to the contract.
It typically doesn’t create the same tail-coverage issue when the policy terminates.
But occurrence coverage may cost more than early-year claims-made coverage.
The Tail Insurance Question Could Save You Thousands
Before signing your first employment contract, ask:
“Who pays for my malpractice tail if I leave?”
Don’t wait until resignation.
Suppose your employer provides a claims-made policy.
You leave after three years.
Your contract says:
Employee is responsible for tail coverage.
That can become a significant unexpected expense.
The AMA specifically highlights tail coverage as an important financial issue for residents transitioning into practice.
Your employment agreement should make responsibility clear.
Understand Your Limits
Medical malpractice policies typically display limits in a format such as:
$1 million / $3 million
depending on the state, specialty and policy.
This commonly means:
$1 million — per claim
$3 million — annual aggregate
but always confirm how your actual policy defines its limits.
Don’t simply select the largest number you see.
Appropriate limits can depend on:
State
Specialty
Employer requirements
Hospital credentialing requirements
and:
Risk exposure.
Specialty Changes Everything
A new family physician and a new neurosurgeon shouldn’t expect identical malpractice pricing.
Insurers consider risk factors including:
Medical specialty
Procedures performed
Location
Claims history
Hours worked
Coverage limits
and:
Practice structure.
Higher-risk specialties can face substantially higher premiums.
Common higher-risk areas may include:
Obstetrics
Neurosurgery
Orthopedic surgery
and certain other procedural specialties.
Geography Matters Too
Malpractice insurance is highly state-specific.
A provider that’s highly competitive in:
California
may not be the best choice in:
Florida
New York
or:
Texas.
State laws influence:
Claim frequency
Damage rules
Litigation environment
Insurance regulation
and:
Premiums.
This is why there is no legitimate single nationwide:
“cheapest malpractice insurer.”
Consent-to-Settle Is Worth Checking
Suppose someone files a malpractice lawsuit against you.
You strongly believe the care was appropriate and don’t want the case settled.
Can the insurer settle anyway?
The answer depends on the policy.
Look for:
Consent-to-settle provisions.
For example, some medical professional liability policies provide physicians with rights concerning whether a claim is settled, subject to their contractual terms and state law.
This can matter because a settlement may have:
Professional
Reputational
Credentialing
and:
reporting implications.
Are Defense Costs Inside or Outside the Limit?
Another critical question:
Does paying your defense attorney reduce the amount available for damages?
Suppose you have:
$1 million
of coverage.
If defense expenses are:
inside the policy limit,
legal expenses may potentially reduce what’s left for a covered settlement or judgment.
If defense costs are:
outside the limit,
the structure can be more protective.
Policy language varies, so verify this rather than assuming.
Moonlighting Can Create a Coverage Gap
Residents and newly practicing physicians often moonlight.
But don’t assume your employer malpractice insurance follows you everywhere.
Ask:
Does my employer policy cover outside clinical work?
If not, you may need separate coverage for:
Locum tenens
Telemedicine
Independent consulting
or:
Moonlighting.
The same issue can arise when practicing across state lines.
Telemedicine Needs Special Attention
A new doctor providing telehealth services may treat patients located in multiple jurisdictions.
Before beginning telemedicine work, verify:
Licensing requirements
Policy territory
Covered states
Telemedicine coverage
and:
Applicable limits.
Don’t assume a policy issued for your physical office automatically covers every remote encounter.
New Doctor Buying Checklist
Before choosing malpractice insurance:
- Compare at least three quotes.
- Verify the insurer’s financial-strength rating.
- Compare claims-made vs. occurrence.
- Identify the retroactive date.
- Determine who pays tail coverage.
- Compare per-claim and aggregate limits.
- Check defense-cost treatment.
- Review consent-to-settle provisions.
- Confirm your specialty is correctly classified.
- Verify every state where you practice.
- Check telemedicine coverage.
- Check moonlighting coverage.
- Review exclusions.
- Ask about risk-management resources.
- Understand premium changes as a claims-made policy matures.
- Review your employment contract alongside the policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some leading malpractice insurers for new doctors in 2026?
The Doctors Company, MedPro Group, Coverys, ProAssurance and CNA are established names worth considering, but the best carrier depends on specialty, state and policy needs. AM Best’s 2026 market ranking places Berkshire Hathaway, The Doctors Company and CNA among the largest U.S. medical professional liability writers based on 2025 premiums.
Is ProAssurance still a separate company?
The Doctors Company completed its acquisition of ProAssurance on June 26, 2026. Integration is being handled in phases.
Do residents need their own malpractice insurance?
Residents are commonly covered through their training institution, but coverage circumstances change when moving into independent practice. The AMA recommends that final-year residents understand malpractice coverage as part of that transition.
What’s the difference between claims-made and occurrence?
Claims-made coverage can create a need for tail or prior-acts protection when coverage ends. Occurrence coverage generally protects covered incidents occurring during the policy period even if claims arise later, subject to policy terms.
Who should pay for tail insurance?
That depends on the employment agreement. The employer may pay, the physician may pay, or responsibility may depend on why employment ends. Negotiate this before signing your employment contract.
Should I choose the cheapest malpractice policy?
Not automatically. Compare price alongside financial strength, policy wording, claim defense, consent-to-settle provisions, exclusions, tail obligations and risk-management services.
Final Thoughts
For a new physician, malpractice insurance shouldn’t be treated as another box to check before starting work.
It protects a career that may have required:
four years of medical school + years of residency + potentially fellowship training + substantial financial investment.
Start by comparing established providers such as The Doctors Company, MedPro Group, Coverys, ProAssurance and CNA, while recognizing that ProAssurance is now owned by The Doctors Company.
Then focus on the details that can matter more than the insurer’s name:
Claims-made vs. occurrence
Tail responsibility
Policy limits
Consent to settle
Defense costs
Moonlighting
Telemedicine
and:
State-specific coverage.
For a new doctor, the best malpractice policy isn’t necessarily the cheapest.
It’s the policy whose terms actually match where, how and in what specialty you practice medicine.