Our Expert Weighs In

The majority of medical-malpractice insurance companies consider anyone that works more than 20 hours per week to be full time. This was a huge shock to a physician client of mine that recently emailed me about a new moonlighting job she was applying for and she wanted to know if we could just add coverage for the new job to her current policy. 



Unfortunately, as I explained to the doctor, her current coverage was under a group policy that only covered her for the work she does at her full-time job at the group practice.  As we set out to find her a new policy, the client explained to me that she was going to work 3-4 evenings per week at a local immediate care clinic and probably one 8 hour shift each weekend, or about 25 hours per week total. My client was excited about the new job but confused as to why the quotes were so much higher than expected and why they were all quotes for full-time coverage.  She was convinced that I had misunderstood her and the responsibilities of the new job. That was when I had to explain to my confused client that the insurance companies that cover physicians consider anything over 20 hours per week to be full-time. Unfortunately, this meant that the estimated 25 hours that she was planning to work every week would put her in the full-time category for coverage and was too expensive.

After viewing both the full-time and the part-time rates, and seeing the big difference in both the rates, first-hand my client went back to and renegotiated the number of hours she would be available per week.  She let her new boss know that she would be capping her number of hours per week to maintain part-time coverage with her insurance company.

What You Need to Know

Knowing the difference between full-time and part-time coverage is very important. Purchasing a part-time policy can result in a significant cost savings vs full-time a full-time policy.  Before you make a decision, review the various rates and go over your options with a knowledgeable, licensed medical malpractice insurance agent. 

If you would like to discuss the differences between full-time and part-time rates or review your options, please contact Nexus Insurance Agency directly here . or call us, toll free at  1-877-465-7478.  We would love to speak with you.