Malpractice insurance rates drop to 30-year low

Medical malpractice liability premiums are at a 30-year low and claims have dropped 45 percent since 2000, according to a study by a consortium of consumer watchdog groups.

Americans for Insurance Reform issued its study, "True Risk: Medical Liability, Malpractice Insurance and Health Care," as a warning to lawmakers against further limiting the liability exposure of physicians and hospitals. The study's data, pulled from the insurance rating firm A.M. Best Co. and a private company called the Insurance Services Office, show medical practice liability premiums dropped 3 percent in 2007 and 11 percent in 2008, and there has not been a premium increase of more than 9 percent since 1995.