The Division of Economic and Health Policy Research conducts research on the medical liability market. It uses data from the AMA's Physician Practice Benchmark Surveys to conduct original research on claim frequency and uses external data to examine trends in liability premiums.
Policy research perspectives
For the seventh consecutive year, medical liability premiums continue to rise
Using data from the Annual Rate Survey Issues of the Medical Liability Monitor (MLM) this report (PDF) summarizes changes in medical liability premiums from 2016 to 2025. Over the last seven years (2019-2025), the proportions of premiums that increased from one year to the next reached highs not seen since the last hard market in early 2000s.
In 2019, this share almost doubled from what it was in 2018, increasing from 13.7% to 26.5%. The upward trend continued and peaked in 2024, when almost half (49.8%) of the reported premiums rose from the previous year. Despite the drop in 2025, almost 40% of premiums increased. Large increases in premiums (10% or more) occurred in 11 states. Five of those states also had large increases in 2024.
Medical Liability Claim Frequency Among U.S. Physicians
Using data from the AMA’s 2016-2024 Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, this report (PDF) presents estimates of claim frequency among U.S. physicians and explores whether the likelihood of claims varies by age, gender, specialty, Census Division and employment status and how it’s changed over time. It finds that in 2024, 28.7% of physicians had been sued in their careers to date, a moderate decline from 34% in 2016. It also finds that the risk of ever being sued varies significantly by specialty, gender and age. Surgical specialties such as obstetrics and gynecology and general surgery are at the highest risk, and the risk increases the longer physicians are in practice.
Learn more about AMA's federal and state medical liability legislative activities.
