Even though chiropractic care is considered an alternative therapy treatment, it has found its way into mainstream therapy. Chiropractic treatment brings immediate relief for musculoskeletal illnesses that modern medicine finds difficult to treat. This is why there’s a growing number of people who opt to get it instead.
Chiropractors are not medical doctors per se even though they experienced rigorous training and schooling before practicing their profession. And so, medical doctors' insurance might not provide protection to chiropractors against exposures.
Chiropractors are not medical doctors per se even though they experienced rigorous training and schooling. With that said, are chiropractors covered by insurance and can they be sued?
If you’re a customer, you can sue a chiropractor for any injuries or damage. In practice, lawyers will aid you in filing a lawsuit against a chiropractic professional if these conditions are met:
There’s a compelling reason that your injury was linked to the chiropractic service
Such an injury dealt not only significant physical damage but also economic loss
Note that aside from treatment injuries, you can also sue a chiropractor for any accidents that happen on the clinic’s premises as caused by poor housekeeping or any other reason related to business operations.
If you believed that a chiropractor touched you improperly or failed to employ the necessary care during treatment, then filing a malpractice lawsuit is an option. Don’t hesitate to do this. Chiropractors must be held responsible for any shady acts committed while doing their job.
In case a lawsuit is filed, are chiropractors covered by insurance? It’s important to ask this question. Note that a chiropractor with an insurance policy in force can easily compensate for your damage or loss.
So does insurance cover chiropractors? Carriers offer a specialized insurance product for chiropractic therapists called chiropractor insurance. A typical chiropractor's insurance includes liability insurance policies, business insurance policies, and malpractice insurance. The following sections thoroughly discuss these.
Chiropractor liability insurance is a collective term for different policies that protect a chiropractor from lawsuits and their cost. Carriers offer basic protection to chiropractic care professionals by offering the following chiropractors liability insurance policies:
General liability
Professional liability
General liability insurance is a policy that helps to pay for the cost of lawsuits a chiropractor’s patient files because of property damage or personal injury. While it’s true that chiropractic care can provide treatment for different bodily illnesses, there are also cases where it did the opposite.
According to research published in 2015, the likelihood of injuries because of chiropractic treatment is 40 per 100,000 patients. Here’s a table showing the exact injuries some patients have experienced because of chiropractic treatment as well as the cost:
| Possible Injuries Because of Chiropractic Care | Settlement Cost in The Event of a Lawsuit |
|---|---|
| Anterior dislocation of atlas and fracture of odontoid axis | $105,217 |
| Posterior rib fracture | $75,000 |
| Loss of consciousness due to physical trauma | $127,000 |
| Neck injury | $35,000 |
| Leg injury | $115,000 |
| Quadriplegia and paraplegia | $1,000,000 |
Chiropractors have legal liability if the patient can prove that treatment resulted in injuries and other damages. For this reason, those who provide chiropractic care should have general liability insurance as a shield. This liability insurance for chiropractors offers $1 million up to $2 million coverage so that a chiropractor can pay for attorney fees, other legal costs, and compensation for the damages to the victim.
Note that chiropractic general liability insurance might come with an optional chiropractor liability insurance called products and completed operations coverage, which is useful if the patient claims to have sustained physical injuries sometime after chiropractic treatment
Before reading about professional liability insurance for chiropractors, take time to use our free and intuitive quote generator. Just click on the “Get Quotes” and provide the necessary details. Once you’re done, our online tool will then send the quotes of the nearest insurance companies offering general liability insurance for chiropractors.
Professional negligence lawsuits are another exposure that chiropractors have to cover with insurance. Chiropractors paying hefty sums after losing negligence lawsuits have already happened. Here are some examples:
violating the standard of chiropractic care
Thomas Thornatore sued a chiropractor for $500,000 after experiencing herniated disc which requires spinal injury
A chiropractor in North Mackay faced a $1 million lawsuit because the client started experiencing several issues after a two-session chiropractic treatment
Chiropractic professional liability insurance provides $1 million up to $2 million for the cost of attorney fees, other legal costs, and compensation. The coverage of professional liability insurance for chiropractors kicks in when a client holds a chiropractor responsible for:
Not having the adequate experience and knowledge required for the proper practice and execution of chiropractic care
Possessing chiropractic skill or ability lower than what’s possessed by the usual chiropractic expert
Even though having knowledge and skill, fails to use the said skill and knowledge to provide the adequate service every patient needs
Chiropractor malpractice insurance functions to provide protection against unique risks associated with the delivery of chiropractic treatment. In actuality, malpractice insurance for chiropractors provides coverage for:
Lawsuits against chiropractors accusing them of incompetence resulting in bodily injuries of the patient
Lawsuits resulting from improper diagnosis and failure to ask for the expressed consent of the patient before carrying out treatment
Lawsuits arising from the delivery of substandard chiropractic treatment
Lawsuits resulting from patient discrimination based on culture, ethnicity, race, or color
Read more:
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General liability and professional liability insurance for chiropractors aren’t enough as exposures chiropractors face aren’t only limited to lawsuits from clients. And so, carriers offer chiropractic business insurance having a business owner’s policy. A business owner's policy bundles chiropractic liability insurance (commercial general liability insurance and professional liability insurance) with commercial property insurance.
Commercial property insurance in business owners policy for chiropractors provides protection from the following exposures:
Equipment breakdown coverage will help a chiropractor pay for the replacement or repair cost of a chiropractic table, computer, electrodermal screening device, television, wobble chair, traction unit, and more. Without this chiropractors insurance coverage, equipment breakdown might incur a loss amounting to $50,000 - $100,000.
Business property damage coverage is included in commercial property insurance and will account for the cost of fires, heavy winds, and hail. Through a business property damage coverage, a chiropractor can get money to pay for the repair or replacement of damaged building structures.
Note that commercial property insurance with business property coverage won’t work if the chiropractor doesn't own the damaged building. Those who are renting their chiropractic clinic can opt to get commercial general liability insurance that offers damage to rented premises liability coverage.
Chiropractic care often involves touching a client’s body part. Sometimes, patients that don’t understand how the treatment works can perceive the process as sexual harassment.
Also, accusations of sexual harassment don’t only come from the patients but assistants too. For this reason, carriers offer stand-alone sexual harassment insurance or sexual harassment coverage in employer’s practices liability insurance.
Employer’s practices liability insurance has sexual harassment coverage which kicks in if a chiropractor faces allegations of sexually harassing assistants. For sexual harassment lawsuits, employment practi ces liability insurance provides $100,000 up to $500,000 to the policyholder.
Chiropractors can’t use employer’s practices liability insurance to cover sexual harassment lawsuits patients file. That’s why there’s a stand-alone sexual harassment insurance chiropractor that caters to it. Chiropractor’s sexual harassment insurance offers $500,000 up to $1 million coverage for the policyholder. Note that any accusations of sexual misconduct committed outside of the clinic are excluded in sexual harassment insurance for chiropractors.
Chiropractors pay $52 a month or $624 a year for a $1 million general liability coverage
The chiropractic insurance cost for a business owner’s policy having general liability coverage and commercial property coverage is $85 a month or $780 a year
Employer practices liability insurance with sexual harassment coverage is $47.41 a month $569 a year
Stand-alone sexual harassment insurance for chiropractors is $45 a month or $540 a year.
To give you more examples of chiropractor insurance costs, here is a summary of how top insurance companies charge per month and annually.
| Company | Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoverWallet | $39 | $468 | One-stop-shop for affordable small business insurance online - from comparison to policy management |
| Hiscox | $55 | $580 | Workers comp insurance for chiropractors |
| Chirosecure | $85 | $1,020 | Basic insurance coverage for chiropractors and chiropractic clinics |
Generally, malpractice insurance for chiropractors cost is $230 a month or $2,760 a year for a $1 million coverage. We can also determine the average chiropractic malpractice insurance cost based on the type of chiropractor who wants to get insured, and so:
The average cost of malpractice insurance for chiropractors, who specialize in subluxation and spinal structure treatment, is $250 a month or $3,000 a year for a $1 million malpractice insurance
Musculoskeletal chiropractors pay $255 a month or $3,060 a year for a $1 million malpractice insurance
| Insuranks rating | 10/10 |
|---|---|
| Best for | One-stop shop for affordable small business insurance online - from comparison to policy management |
| Average cost | $39 per month |
| Year Founded | September 2015 and acquired by AON at 2020 |
| CEO | Inaki Beringuer (former) |
| Headquarters | 101 Avenue of the Americas 18th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States |
| Customer Support | (646) 844-9933 |
| AM Best Rating | A ( excellent) |
| BBB Rating | A+ |
| Number of Complaints | 158 |
Allows you to compare quotes
Chiropractic malpractice insurance reviews always include CoverWallet as a solid option
Very cheap and stable rates
Easy online policy management
Not an insurance carrier but a broker offering the products of its partners to clients
CoverWallet , with its partners, offers the best coverage for chiropractic professionals. The company offers general liability insurance, professional liability insurance, as well as business insurance policies. It even has malpractice insurance which can be bundled with other policies. We suggest you try this company first if you’re looking for trusty chiropractic malpractice insurance companies.
| Insuranks rating | 9.5/10 |
|---|---|
| Best for | Workers comp insurance for chiropractors |
| Average cost | $55 per month |
| Year Founded | 1901 |
| CEO | Aki Hussain |
| Headquarters | Pembroke Parish, Bermuda |
| Customer Support | 1-866-424-8508 and customer.relations@hiscox.com |
| AM Best Rating | A (excellent) |
| BBB Rating | A- |
| Number of Complaints | 12 |
Provides extensive coverage
You can access it in any state
Quick claim responsiveness
It is expensive
This is a British insurance company with a lot to offer. It is one of the most established and prestigious insurance companies on the market. If you are looking for a comprehensive chiropractic insurance policy, you should consider Hiscox.
You will get a comprehensive chiropractic insurance policy under Allied Healthcare Insurance. This policy covers several claims; they include Business Owner's Policy, Worker's Compensation Insurance, and Professional Liability Insurance. With this coverage, your chiropractic business is fully insured. Even though it is expensive, this insurance policy is very comprehensive and vital for your chiropractic business.
| Insuranks rating | 8/10 |
|---|---|
| Best for | Basic insurance coverage for chiropractors and chiropractic clinics |
| Average cost | $35 per month |
| Year Founded | N/A |
| CEO | Dr. Stuart Hoffman |
| Headquarters | 8501 E Princess Dr #130, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, United States |
| Customer Support | +1 866-802-4476 |
| AM Best Rating | N/A |
| BBB Rating | N/A |
| Number of Complaints | N/A |
Comprehensive coverage
Affordable
Ideal for freelance chiropractors
Responding to claims can be slow
Chirosecure is an insurance company that focuses on satisfying the insurance needs of chiropractors. It covers both individual and established chiropractic businesses. Chirosecure prides itself in offering affordable malpractice insurance options at moderate rates.
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Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
Not all those who wander are lost.
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