The MDA-endorsed Professional Protector Plan® offers malpractice insurance in both claims-made and occurrence forms.  Before making a decision on which form better suits your needs, it’s important to understand a few basics about each.

Occurrence policy forms provide coverage for an injury or damage that takes place during the policy period, regardless of when the claim is made and reported.  Provided the incident takes place while the policy is active, claims may be submitted to the insurance carrier at any time in the future.  The limits of insurance in force at the time of the incident will apply.

Claims-made policy forms provide coverage for an injury or damage that takes place during the policy period, provided the claim is made and reported while the policy is active.  Coverage is not automatically available for claims submitted after the claims-made policy is cancelled or no longer in-force.  Because of this, claims-made policies offer a special endorsement when cancelled, commonly called tail coverage, which allows claims made after cancellation to be considered for coverage.  The limits of insurance at the time the claim is made and reported will apply.

The other major difference is pricing.  Occurrence policies are more expensive in the early years of coverage, but do not require purchasing tail coverage upon cancellation.  Claims-made policies are less expensive up front, but may require the purchase of tail coverage when the policy is cancelled (although many carriers offer provisions whereby tail coverage can be obtained at no cost).  

Please call MDA Insurance at (800) 860-2272 for more details or assistance in determining which form of coverage would better fit your needs.