Effects of the Malpractice Crisis on Access and Incidence: Evidence from Florida

There is much debate on how recent increases in medical malpractice premiums affect patients Eaccess to care. We examine activity levels of neurosurgeons and obstetricians, as well as patient incidence and travel times in the state of Florida, where malpractice insurance premiums have soared since 2000. Compared to 1997-2000 trends, we find that during 2000-2003 many neurosurgeons cut back their volumes of brain surgeries and craniotomy patients traveled longer for care without any significant change in the overall incidence of craniotomies. Women undergoing high risk deliveries did not see increases in travel times.