Medical practice in 2026 looks drastically different from what it did a decade ago. There was a time when malpractice exposure felt more predictable and short-lived. That is no longer the case. Larger jury awards, longer filing windows, delayed discovery of injuries, and litigation funding are driving verdicts beyond traditional policy limits. At the same time, patients are often presenting later and sicker, creating missed opportunities for earlier intervention and increasing the likelihood of poor outcomes—even when earlier access was outside a physician’s control. Most physicians remain insured under claims-made malpractice insurance policies, which only provide coverage if the policy is active at the time a claim is reported. According to the American College of Physicians , 97% of young physicians entering a new practice are offered malpractice insurance as an employment benefit, and nearly all of those policies are structured as claims-made coverage.…