Insurance

Question One: The main reason as to why health care practitioners need to enroll for a professional liability insurance policy is to protect them from any cases of negligence that may arise while carrying out their duties and policies (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). Irrespective on whether a medical professional gets an insurance coverage under the policy of the employer, a professional may still be liable for negligence and may be held responsible for an award or settlement of a plaintiff (Nurses Service Organization, 2014).
In certain circumstance, a medical practitioner may compensate their employers, in case they pay damages to the plaintiffs or claimants (Nurses Service Organization, 2014). To avoid paying these damages, the medical professional can buy an insurance policy, for purposes of transferring the risks associated with his or her work (Mason, Leavitt and Chaffee, 2012). On most occasions, insurance companies will accept the risk under consideration, in exchange for receiving the payment of premiums.
Question Two:
An employee would also need to join an individual professional insurance program, even if they are covered by their employer. An employer would register to this program if the insurance policy initiated by an employer does not meet the following requirements (Nurses Service Organization, 2014),
Enlisting the name of the employee in the insurance program.
Inclusion of legal costs in the policy.
Payment of legal and court costs in cases whereby a lawsuit is filed against a medical practitioner. The insurance policy should be responsible for paying these costs.
The availability of the insurance policy in all the states of that comprises America.
An insurance policy maintained by an employer that does not meet the above requirements, would force an employee to purchase their own policy (Nurses Service Organization, 2014).
Some of these insurance programs only cover some partial problems, it would therefore be necessary for the health care practitioner to register for an insurance program that covers all possible liabilities that they are liable of (Nurses Service Organization, 2014). An employer’s policy also covers an employee only when he or she is working for him, or at work. On the other hand, enrolling for a professional liability insurance program will cover an employee when he or she is at work, or providing volunteer services to another health organization (Nurses Service Organization, 2014).

Question Three:
The insurance policy initiated by the employer is aimed at protecting the interests of the employer first, before protecting the interests of his employees (Nurses Service Organization, 2014). This is because he is the one responsible for paying premiums, and on most occasions, they partially insure their employees. This is an indication that the policy aimed at protecting the interests of the employer first, before protecting the interests of employees.
Question Four:
Enrolling for a professional liability program does not mean that an individual has a deep pocket. It is only a measure of safeguarding a health practitioner from liability in cases of negligence or malfeasance (Nurses Service Organization, 2014).
Question Five:
In conclusion, it is advantageous for a medical practitioner to enroll for a professional liability insurance program, because it will help them in meeting legal liabilities and costs associated with negligence. This is in case a claimant accuses them of causing harm to them, because of their negligence (Cowen and Moorhead, 2011). This in turn makes a medical practitioner to have a peace of mind, and rest. Furthermore, the medical practitioner has the capability of influencing factors that determine the kind of premium that he or she pays. One of the ways used in controlling premiums is reducing risks that may occur in the work place (Nurses Service Organization, 2014). This is through having a good background on the duties they undertake, and also enrolling on programs aimed at teaching medical practitioners on how to safely carry out their activities.
Question Six:
One major disadvantage of this policy is that it does not contain any standard policy in regard to the wording of the insurance policy. Making an analysis of the individual policy is important, mainly because it ensures that it fits the specific situation or needs of the policy holder (Mason, Leavitt and Chaffee, 2012). For instance, some of these insurance policies may not provide a cover on punitive damages. This could have an impact on costing the policy holder a significant amount of expenses. Some providers also cover a specific type of negligence, and hence it would force the policy seeker, to look for an insurance company that provides cover to all their needs.

References:
Cowen, P. S., & Moorhead, S. (2011). Current issues in nursing (8th ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby Elsevier.
Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2012). Policy & politics in nursing and health care (6th ed.).
St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier/Saunders.
Nurses Service Organization. (n. d.). Commonly Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice Insurance.
Commonly Asked Questions About Medical Malpractice Insurance. Retrieved September 24,
2014, from http://www. nso. com/professional-liability-insurance/Only_Doctors_video. jsp