Health care costs remain one of the main concerns for small businesses in terms of providing health insurance to their employees and their families. The costs of medical malpractice–both direct and indirect–are a significant component of the health care system that is contributing toward unsustainable health care costs for many small businesses. 

Even though the rate of claims dropped in recent years, the cost to manage a legal claim has gone up significantly. The upward trend in case management expenses is striking, particularly since the time to resolve cases has decreased.  

The rising cost of medical malpractice suits has resulted in decreased access to health care and increased health care costs. Rural areas are particularly hard hit by a lack of specialty physicians.