What does OB/GYN malpractice insurance cost? Filed rates by state

OB/GYN is the most expensive specialty to insure in the country. The filed national median is about $59,392 a year, more than double emergency medicine and more than seven times psychiatry. And that median hides a state range as wide as any in medicine: from about $18,456 in Wisconsin to about $154,590 in Connecticut. Here is what obstetric coverage actually costs, state by state, and what moves an individual OB/GYN's number.

• National median — $59,392 · The highest of all 19 specialties
• Cheapest state — $18,456 · Wisconsin, on two filed carriers
• Priciest state — $154,590 · Connecticut, on one filed carrier
• Top-to-bottom — 8.4x · Same coverage, same delivering tier

Every figure comes from carrier rate filings on record with state insurance departments (SERFF and state DOIs), on a $1M/$3M mature claims-made basis. These are filed rates, not survey ranges.

What OB/GYN coverage costs nationally, and why it tops the table

At about $59,392, the OB/GYN median sits at the top of all 19 specialties we track. The reason is the nature of obstetric claims, not the frequency of them. Two features drive it.

Severity is the first. Birth-injury claims are among the largest in all of malpractice, because a catastrophic outcome to a newborn can carry a lifetime of care, and juries award accordingly. Carriers price for that tail. The second is time. In many states, the statute of limitations on a claim involving an infant runs not from the date of care but from the child reaching a certain age, so a claim can surface a decade or more after a delivery. Long-tail exposure of that kind is exactly what raises a premium, because the carrier is on the hook far into the future. Add the surgical risk of the specialty and OB/GYN lands where it does.

The state range: cheapest to most expensive

OB/GYN follows the same geographic logic as every specialty, only amplified by its high base. Twenty-five states sit above the national median and twenty-five below it. The extremes:

• Highest OB/GYN states — Median
• Lowest OB/GYN states — Median

A depth note, because this is a specialty other sites will cite. The two single highest states, Connecticut and New Jersey (marked with an asterisk), each rest on one filed carrier, so treat their exact figures as indicative. The steadier high-end read is Michigan at about $150,557, which stands on two filed carriers, CNA HealthPro and MAG Mutual. At the low end, Wisconsin's $18,456 rests on two carriers as well. The pattern is unmistakable regardless: an OB/GYN in the priciest states pays roughly eight times what one in Wisconsin pays for the same coverage.

What drives an individual OB/GYN's number

The filed median is the middle of the market for a state. A specific OB/GYN can land above or below it for reasons that are all legitimate.

State comes first and moves the number most, as the range above shows. Within a state, rating territory is next: a high-claims metro county can be filed well above the state median before anything personal applies. Scope of practice matters for this specialty in particular. A carrier distinguishes between an OB/GYN who delivers babies and performs major surgery, which is the tier our benchmark uses, and a gynecologist who has stopped delivering, whose rate is far lower. Claims history moves it further, up for open or paid claims, down for a clean record. Part-time status, new-to-practice discounts, and higher-than-$1M/$3M limits all shift the final figure. Two OB/GYNs in the same city can be quoted differently and both be correctly rated.

How to check yours against the filed benchmark

Start with your state and confirm the basis. Our benchmark is $1M/$3M mature claims-made for a full-scope, delivering OB/GYN, so put your quote on the same footing before you compare: same limits, same mature claims-made basis, and the delivering tier if you deliver. A first-year claims-made rate will sit below the benchmark and climb; an occurrence rate will read somewhat above.

Then read where you land. Near the filed median for your state is in market. Well above it, after you have accounted for territory, scope, and history, is worth a closer look, though it is not by itself proof of a bad quote. The benchmark is a yardstick, not a verdict; it shows where you stand against what carriers have filed, and it cannot see the specifics of your practice. Reading the quote itself has its own guide.

The filed benchmark gives you the number to walk in with; a broker shops it.

If your number looks high for your state, that is the moment a broker helps. One who works OB/GYN in your state knows which carriers are writing delivering obstetricians right now, MLMIC in New York, MAG Mutual across the Southeast, ProAssurance and The Doctors Company in many states, and which credits you qualify for. Start from the OB/GYN benchmark for your state, then let a broker take it to market.

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Common questions

How much is OB/GYN malpractice insurance?

About $59,392 a year at the national median, the highest of any specialty, on a $1M/$3M mature claims-made basis. It ranges from roughly $18,456 in Wisconsin to about $154,590 in Connecticut depending on the state.

Why is OB/GYN malpractice insurance so expensive?

Birth-injury claims carry some of the largest payouts in medicine, and in many states a claim involving an infant can be filed years later, so carriers price for high severity and long-tail exposure, on top of the specialty's surgical risk.

Does a gynecologist who doesn't deliver pay the same?

No. Carriers rate a non-delivering gynecologist well below a full-scope, delivering OB/GYN. Our benchmark uses the delivering, major-surgery tier, so a non-delivering practice will typically sit below it.

Sources and method

• What we computed — The OB/GYN national median (median of the 51 state medians) of about $59,392, and the full state ranking from Wisconsin to Connecticut, with the named filed carriers per state
• Basis — $1M/$3M limits, mature claims-made, manual (pre-credit) rate, full-scope delivering OB/GYN (major surgery) tier
• Source — Carrier rate filings on record with state insurance departments (SERFF and state DOIs)
• Depth — This specialty's cells range from single-carrier to four carriers; 16 state cells rest on a single filed carrier and are marked, including the two highest, Connecticut and New Jersey
• How to read it — Multi-carrier states give the steadiest read; single-carrier cells are flagged rather than smoothed

How we build the filed-rate benchmark

Disclaimer

This article is a market-data benchmarking resource derived from carrier rate filings on record with state insurance departments. It reports filed manual rates for comparison and education. It does not provide, and must not be relied upon as, insurance advice, a coverage recommendation, or a determination that any specific quote is fair or unfair. Healthcare DealHub reports filed data and can refer you to a licensed broker; it does not sell insurance. Your coverage decision is yours to make, with a licensed broker or advisor.