Best Liability Insurance for Nurses (2024)

Nurses’ involvement in medical care exposes them to potential malpractice claims. Though nurses are only named as defendants in a small minority of medical malpractice claims, the risk to your finances and your nursing license from a lawsuit is too great to forgo professional liability insurance. To help you choose the best liability insurance for nurses, we compared company ratings, National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index rates, AM Best financial stability ratings, coverage limits, and costs. These are the best liability insurance companies for nurses in 2023.

5 Best Nursing Liability Insurance Companies

5 Best Nursing Liability Insurance Companies

5 Best Nursing Liability Insurance Companies

  • Our Top Picks
  • NSO
  • Proliability
  • Coverwallet
  • NOW Insurance
  • See More (2)
  • Final Verdict

  • FAQ

  • Methodology

Great for High Coverage Limits : NSO

Why We Chose It

NSO’s liability policies, given as a benefit of membership in the American Nurses Association (ANA), offer comprehensive coverage at a low cost with limits up to $6 million aggregate (HPSO, NSO’s sister company, also offers policies provided by Affinity Healthcare).

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • High aggregate limits up to $6 million

  • Portable, comprehensive coverage

  • Offers endorsem*nts for consulting services and cosmetic procedures

  • Occurrence-form coverage available in most states

Cons

  • More complaints than expected with the NAIC

Overview

NSO offers aggregate limits of up to $6 million and $1 million per claim. If your claim is covered, NSO might pay your legal representation fees in addition to your liability limits. Coverage for sexual misconduct, HIPAA violations, license protection, and personal injury are all included. Though not available for nurse practitioners in Florida, occurrence-form coverage is available in most states. Also, your coverage is portable and extends to volunteer work.

However, sub-limits are not as robust as what CM&F offers, and the company that underwrites policies for NSO received more complaints with the NAIC over the last three years than would be expected given the underwriter’s size. This is an indication that there may be issues with customer satisfaction. The company has an A financial strength grade with AM Best.

Plan Pricing

For $1 million per incident and $6 million in aggregate coverage, a policy from NSO starts at $104 for W-2 employees, including fees.

Add-Ons

  • Consulting services
  • Cosmetic procedures

Best for Occurrence-Form Policies : CM&F Group

Why We Chose It

CM&F Group boasts the top financial strength grade, provides excellent customer service, and received no NAIC complaints, all while providing comprehensive occurrence-form coverage.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • A++ financial strength grade with AM Best

  • Occurrence-form coverage

  • No complaints with the NAIC

  • Quick and convenient live chat customer service

  • Covers up to $2 million per claim

Cons

  • May need to email to request custom limits

Overview

CM&F Group stands out for having great customer service (we got live chat assistance in just 10 seconds) and no complaints with the NAIC, which is a good indicator of customer satisfaction. CM&F also received the top financial strength grade from AM Best, which means there’s an excellent chance the company will meet its financial obligations to you. Coverage is occurrence-form, covering claims for all incidents that occurred while the policy was in effect, even if you file a claim after your policy period is over.

CM&F offers aggregate limits of up to $6 million per policy year and per-claim limits of up to $2 million, the highest of the companies we reviewed. However, you’ll need to email any requests for custom limits, as there are only two options in the online quote tool. Policies for nurses offer license defense coverage, sexual misconduct coverage, and HIPAA defense coverage as well. CM&F will pay the defense costs for covered claims beyond the liability limits. Coverage is portable, too—it covers you even if you volunteer or pick up shifts somewhere else.

Plan Pricing

We collected sample quotes for nurses in California, and the price was just $102 for limits of $1 million per claim and $6 million aggregate, making CM&F the cheapest professional liability insurance provider for self-employed nurses.

Add-Ons

  • General liability

Great for Customer Satisfaction : Proliability

Why We Chose It

Proliability received no complaints with the NAIC and offers occurrence-form, portable coverage with high aggregate limits.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • No complaints with the NAIC

  • Endorsem*nts available

  • Occurrence-form coverage

  • Free risk management services

Cons

  • Expensive for self-employed nurses

  • Relatively low medical payments limits

Overview

Proliability stands out for customer satisfaction, with no complaints with the NAIC. Per-incident limits of up to $1 million are available, and you can get up to $6 million in aggregate coverage per year. However, sub-limits are lower than some competitors, especially for medical payments.

Proliability’s policy for nurses includes multiple coverages, including sexual abuse/molestation and HIPAA coverage, and licensing board reimbursem*nt. For covered claims, Proliability will pay for legal representation beyond liability limits. And coverage is occurrence-form and portable. Proliability holds an A financial strength grade with AM Best, which is considered excellent. Additionally, Proliability is very affordable for W-2 employed nurses. However, self-employed nurses will pay high premiums.

Plan Pricing

Pricing starts at just $101 per year for an employed registered nurse (RN). Proliability provides discounts for holding certain accolades or taking a risk management seminar. Our sample quote for a self-employed nurse was $387 per year.

Add-Ons

  • Consulting and educational services endorsem*nt
  • General liability
  • Additional insured

Best Broker : Coverwallet

Why We Chose It

Coverwallet allows you to compare prices across up to 10 liability insurance companies with just one application, resulting in the cheapest average quotes we could find for employed nurses.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Compare prices from top insurance carriers

  • Up to $6 million in aggregate annual coverage

  • Quotes for employed nurses start at $97 per year

Cons

  • May result in emails from multiple insurers

  • Mixed customer service reviews

Overview

Coverwallet is a small business insurance broker that provides quotes from up to 10 companies at once. Having multiple choices to compare allows you more policy customization and may help you find the cheapest price. Coverwallet’s quotes for W-2 employed nurses were the lowest we could find. Be aware that you’ll likely receive marketing emails from the companies in your quotes.

Coverwallet offers high sub-limits for medical payments. The broker offers per-claim limits of up to $1 million and aggregate limits of up to $6 million per policy year. You can also get other types of small business insurance coverage through the company. The company’s customer reviews on sites like Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau are mixed.

Plan Pricing

Annual premiums from Coverwallet start at $97 for employed nurses and $106 for self-employed nurses.

Add-Ons

Vary by insurer

Great for Self-Employed : NOW Insurance

Why We Chose It

NOW Insurance offers affordable rates for self-employed nurses, with the option to select higher deductibles to reduce your premium. NOW Insurance is backed by Lloyd’s of London.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Affordable premiums

  • Customize your limits and deductible

  • Live chat support

Cons

  • Few policy details available online

  • Relatively low sub-limits for some coverages, like license protection and first aid

  • Claims-made coverage

Overview

NOW Insurance offered the second-cheapest rate for self-employed nurses during our research. The company is backed by Lloyd’s of London, which has no complaints with the NAIC and holds an A financial strength rating with AM Best. NOW Insurance’s online policy details aren’t as transparent as some companies, and coverage is claims-made, which means you’ll only be covered while your policy is in effect. Sub-limits are also relatively low or not disclosed for many coverages.

NOW Insurance offers liability limits of up to $1 million per claim and $6 million aggregate. You can choose a $1,000 or $2,500 deductible. NOW Insurance also offers general liability coverage.

Plan Pricing

Premiums for employed and self-employed nurses are just over $106 per year for $1 million per claim and $6 million aggregate per policy year.

Add-Ons

  • General liability

Final Verdict

CM&F Group is our top pick for most nurses since it offers great customer service and the most robust coverage at affordable prices. But if you’re a member of the ANA, you might choose to go with NSO, which the ANA endorses. And if you’d like to compare benefits and pricing across companies, Coverwallet is a good fit. If you’re a W-2 employed nurse, Proliability is another good option, and if you’re self-employed, you might go with NOW Insurance—just make sure you understand how the policy works before you sign up.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Should Nurses Have Liability Insurance?

    The American Nurses Association (ANA) recommends that nurses carry their own professional liability policy, since their employer’s policy may not be sufficient for some claims. Additionally, forgoing liability insurance can leave you vulnerable to lawsuits. The average cost of a medical malpractice claim for an RN is $210,513, which could potentially destroy your finances.

  • How Much Is Nursing Liability Insurance?

    Based on quotes we collected from nursing liability insurance companies, the median cost of a policy is $102 for W-2 employed nurses and about $110 per year for self-employed nurses.

  • What Is the Most Common Cause of Nurse Liability?

    Death is the most common injury resulting in malpractice claims, accounting for 40.9% of malpractice lawsuits brought against nurses.

Methodology

In addition to evaluating the customer service process ourselves and reviewing third-party websites for complaints, we evaluated eight criteria for 11 different nursing liability insurance companies.

  • AM Best Rating: We looked at the current financial strength rating given to the company by AM Best, which is an indicator of how well a company can meet its financial obligations.
  • NAIC Complaint Index: We averaged the NAIC complaint indices for the last three years for each company to get a sense of whether the company had any issues with customer satisfaction.
  • Legal Defense Outside of Policy Limits: We assessed companies based on whether they offered to pay legal fees above and beyond the liability limits.
  • Coverages and Sub-Limits: We looked at whether companies offered deposition expense coverage, coverage for damage to other’s property, HIPAA defense coverage, assault coverage, sexual misconduct coverage, first aid reimbursem*nt coverage, license protection coverage, and medical payments coverage. We evaluated companies based on the sub-limits they offered for each type of coverage, too.
  • Portability: We assessed whether policies would cover nurses for volunteer work, moonlighting, changingjobs, and other scenarios.
  • Occurrence-Form vs Claims-Made Policy: We prioritized companies that offer occurrence-form coverage, which can provide greater protections relative to claims-made coverage.
  • Online Quote and Application: We assessed the ease of the application process, including whether applicants could get a quote and apply for a policy online.
  • Cost: We collected quotes for $1 million per claim and $6 million in aggregate coverage for W-2 employed nurses and self-employed nurses.

Best Liability Insurance for Nurses (6)

Best Liability Insurance for Nurses (2024)
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