Medical Malpractice Liability Protection Highlights

Healthcare Underwriters Group of Florida is Different...

Healthcare Underwriters Group of Florida (HUFL) is a medical professional liability company based in Florida. HUFL is licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and offers insurance exclusively to Florida physicians in all specialties.

100% Doctor Owned

We invite all prospective owners to compare HUFL against other insurance companies. We are confident that you will find HUFL stands alone as the best solution available to Florida doctors.

Ownership Means Your Vote Counts

No Florida licensed medical professional liability insurance company gives doctors more control over their insurance coverage than HUFL.

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While many insurance companies claim to be doctor-owned and governed, very few of these companies offer voting rights to their policyholders. At HUFL, we believe the power to vote is the power to create change. Through the annual election of board members (who are also HUFL insureds), participation at annual meetings, involvement on committees, our doctors have a voice on important matters such as underwriting standards, premium levels, and claims handling.

HUFL was created specifically for Florida doctors who wish to seize control of their malpractice coverage, fight nuisance claims, and help bring long term stability to Florida’s volatile market.

Download the Doctor's Apllication here.

Profits and Dividends

Since HUFL is a non-profit entity, any profits that develop may be returned to owner-policyholders in the form of dividends or credits against future premiums. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation will oversee and approve any dividend payments or premium credits recommended by the HUFL board. HUFL will never charge extra ‘assessed premiums’, even if losses are higher than expected. That is because HUFL was established as a ‘non-assessable’ reciprocal insurance company. This means that owner-policyholders will never be assessed by HUFL to pay additional premiums to cover past losses. To protect against unexpected claims, HUFL maintains high quality reinsurance from carriers with AM Best ratings of A- or above.

WE DON’T SETTLE

We are a Florida firm started for Florida physicians and owned by Florida Physicians.  Every claim is reviewed by the physicians on the claims review committee. If they deem there was no indication of violating best practices or procedures they will fight the suit and not settle.  Since we do not see settling as a viable option except in unusual cases, we will spend whatever is required to defend a physician’s license and reputation.

Annual Premiums

Every effort is made to set rates appropriately. However, medical liability insurance companies must base current premiums on past claims experience. This rearview mirror snapshot of claims (or losses) is combined with actuarial number-crunching to arrive at ‘fair’ premium rates.

We hire highly qualified independent actuaries who make recommendations to the HUFL board. Ultimately it is the board, made up of other physician owner-policyholders you elect, who will review and approve the rates to be submitted to the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. No increases can be made without the approval of the HUFL physician board.

Financial Integrity and Reinsurance

HUFL’s capitalization is very conservative and based on a proven financial model. We chose this highly conservative method of capitalization to give HUFL the rock-solid financial base needed to provide a superior defense over the years ahead. To protect HUFL against the possibility of catastrophic losses, our company has secured high quality reinsurance. Our outstanding reinsurance program includes only established reinsurance companies and Lloyds of London syndicates that are all rated A- (Excellent) or better by independent rating agencies such as A.M. Best.

Your Capital Contribution

All HUFL owner-policyholders contribute to the capitalization of the company. The capital contribution is a one-time event and can be financed over a period of up to five years through arrangements HUFL has made with diff erent lending institutions or through any method the applicant chooses.
Usually the capital payment is the same amount as the doctor’s annual mature premium.

Once the capitalization payment is made, the doctor becomes an owner of the company. The capital contribution represents the financial foundation of the company. By design the ownership/governance structure of HUFL puts Florida doctors in charge of their own malpractice company and their own defense.

The HUFL Story

Healthcare Underwriters Group of Florida was launched by Florida doctors who were seeking a better, more dependable and permanent solution for their professional liability insurance. They grew tired of having claims settled for ‘economic’ reasons and wanted to be defended.

At a time when many liability insurance companies abandoned Florida doctors, HUFL stepped forward to offer a new and better solution. HUFL is a doctor-owned and governed insurance company with a highly experienced management team. Most of the senior managers have at least 20 years of experience in medical malpractice insurance. HUFL was created to stand the test of time and is becoming the preferred choice for Florida Physicians.

Download the Doctor's Apllication here.

Download the Doctor's Apllication here.

Article: Lawyer ordered to pay doctor – writes first check Healthcare Underwriters Group continues fight against frivolous lawsuits DANIA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Healthcare Underwriters Group of Florida (HUFL), a physician owned and governed medical professional liability insurance company, announced the receipt of a check that confirms an important victory in HUFL's ongoing campaign to stop nuisance claims against Florida doctors. The original victory came on August 12th, 2005 when a Broward County Circuit judge ruled in favor of an HUFL insured doctor by dismissing a medical malpractice claim and ordering the plaintiff's attorney to pay the defense attorney's fees and costs. The plaintiff's attorney initially appealed the decision, and then withdrew the appeal. In keeping with an agreed upon payment plan, the first check from the plaintiff's attorney has now arrived to pay the fees and costs. "This first check from an attorney confirms our ability to effectively fight meritless cases," said Steven Shapiro, M.D., Chairperson of the Board for HUFL. "When a patient is truly injured by a medical error, we want to pay a reasonable amount in a timely manner. However, every attorney in Florida needs to understand that we will not pay meritless claims simply to make them go away. They need to understand that, through HUFL, Florida physicians have taken control of their defense. To preserve the reputations of our insured doctors and to discourage meritless claims, we are going to fight back every time." Michael A. Petruccelli, the defense attorney who handled this case on behalf of HUFL's insured doctor, was pleasedwith the outcome. He is hoping that this victory will serve as an example for other insurance companies as they face a choice between settling and fighting such claims. "Working with Healthcare Underwriters Group is refreshing. They have made it clear that they want their physicians defended fully when someone brings a claim with no merit," said Petruccelli. "I believe that an aggressive defense posture could go a long way toward deterring the filing of non-meritorious claims against HUFL insured doctors in the future." "Our insured physicians own this company. We have promised them that we will not settle claims without merit," said HUFL's Director of Claims, David McKenney. This was clearly a case that fell into that category. I have heard people raise concerns over how prudent it is to fight meritless claims in Florida. Some seem to think it will just be too expensive to fight this fight. In fact, I believe that, over time, it is too expensive not to fight. This case sends a clear message that our physicians have had enough! Attorneys that bring meritless cases against HUFL insureds can expect to face an uphill battle. They may even end up writing a check." HUFL is a non-profit, non-assessable insurance reciprocal owned and governed by Florida doctors. The company is domiciled in Florida and licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Download the Doctor's Apllication here.

Download the Doctor's Apllication here.