Malpractice Insurance for Midwives

Midwives provide essential care through pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period. Because this work involves high-stakes decisions and time-critical responses, midwives face unique liability risks — from birth injuries and delayed transfers to documentation and informed-consent disputes.

Homewood Insurance helps midwives secure tailored malpractice and liability coverage that protects their practice, their license, and their patients. This page explains what your insurance should include, how much it typically costs, and which situations can increase premiums or require special policy terms.

What Insurance Includes – a clear breakdown of malpractice and general liability protections for midwives in home, birth center, and hospital-based settings.
Cost of Coverage – typical premium ranges and the main factors that influence price.
Higher-Risk Situations – scenarios that elevate premiums or may be excluded without specific safeguards.
Why Work With Homewood – how we help midwives get the right protection at a fair price.

Get a Free Quote

Complete our quick quote form and share your practice setting, birth volume, and any prior claims. We’ll present clear options from carriers that understand midwifery and support the way you care for families.

Malpractice Insurance for Midwives can include:

Option to include general liability alongside malpractice.
Coverage limits available up to $2 million per individual claim.
“Consent to settle” options so you retain control over settlement decisions.
Protection for telemedicine and telehealth services.
Legal defense for license and disciplinary matters, with defense costs paid in addition to liability limits.
Coverage for allegations of privacy violations.
Defense for allegations of sexual misconduct.
Portable coverage that follows you 24/7, including volunteer work, per-diem shifts, and moonlighting.

Insurance for Midwives can include:

Professional Liability (malpractice)

Covers claims tied to pregnancy care, labor and birth management, neonatal care immediately after birth, and postpartum follow-up.
Protection for allegations of delayed transfer, failure to diagnose or respond to complications, improper medication use, and inadequate informed consent.
Defense for record-keeping and documentation disputes.
Coverage available for midwives practicing in homes, birth centers, and hospital-based roles, with policy terms matched to your scope of practice.
License protection for investigations, board complaints, and disciplinary hearings.
Options for prior-acts and tail coverage to fill gaps when changing policies.

General Liability (targeted to midwifery)

Premises incidents at a birth center or clinic (visitor slips and falls, trip hazards, waiting-room injuries).
Property damage to others (for example, accidental damage at a client’s home during a planned home birth).
Events and classes (childbirth education, support groups, community outreach).
Personal and advertising injury (claims of defamation or misleading advertising).
Medical payments for minor on-site injuries, regardless of fault, to reduce disputes.

How much does Insurance for Midwives cost?

Premiums are influenced by specialty mix, litigation environment, facility size, and claims history. Carriers also evaluate risk management protocols such as credentialing, peer review, and informed consent.

Professional Liability (malpractice) — typical annual ranges

Most certified nurse-midwives: $7,000 – $10,000
Higher-cost states (for example, California) for $1M / $3M limits on claims-made forms: around $15,000
Practices with out-of-hospital births or a higher share of complex cases: higher and often placed with specialty carriers

Notes on how pricing works

Costs vary by state, claims history, practice setting (home, birth center, hospital), procedures offered, and birth volume.
Policies can be claims-made (often lower first-year premium, with tail needed later) or occurrence (higher up front, no tail needed).
If you work under an employer policy, a personal policy can close gaps (telehealth, volunteer work, side practice, consent-to-settle).

General Liability — typical annual ranges

Small clinic or birth center: $750 – $2,000
Multi-room birth center or high-traffic space: $2,000 – $5,000+

Factors include number of visitors, property size, past incidents, and added protections such as abuse and molestation coverage or cyber/privacy coverage.

High-Risk Procedures and their Impact on your Premiums

Some services and circumstances increase premiums or require special endorsements. A strong referral/transfer plan, documented informed consent, and collaborative agreements help keep coverage available and affordable.

Situation / Service	Why It’s Higher Risk	Controls Required	Insurance Impact
Planned home births	Time-critical transfers; limited on-site resources	Written transfer protocols; hospital collaboration; client consent specific to home setting	Premiums 30–100% higher; some carriers require endorsements
Vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC)	Risk of uterine rupture and emergency surgery	Continuous monitoring; rapid transfer plan; OB/GYN collaboration	25–50% surcharge; out-of-hospital VBAC often restricted
Breech presentations	Higher chance of neonatal injury or hypoxia	Specialist consultation; clearly documented consent; planned hospital delivery	20–40% increase; frequently excluded outside hospital
Shoulder dystocia management	Potential brachial plexus injury; high litigation rates	Team training on maneuvers; real-time documentation; debrief and QA review	15–30% increase if frequent in case mix
High-risk pregnancy care	Conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, multiples	Clear referral criteria; co-management agreements; documented patient counseling	20–60% increase; some scenarios excluded out-of-hospital

Complementary Coverages

Commercial Vehicle

Coverage for business autos used in your practice.

General Liability

Protects against third-party bodily injury and property damage claims.

Insurance Documents

Help with prior-acts, tail coverage, certificates, and endorsements.

Professional Liability

Malpractice protection matched to your scope of practice.

Cyber Liability

Helps with privacy incidents and regulatory response.

Workers’ Compensation

Benefits for employees injured on the job.

Why Work With Homewood

We tailor policies to how and where you practice — home births, birth centers, and hospital-based roles.
Access to nearly 100 insurance carriers, including specialty markets that understand midwifery.
Guidance on consent-to-settle, prior-acts and tail coverage, and choosing between claims-made and occurrence.
Help aligning your transfer protocols, documentation, and collaboration agreements with what carriers look for.
A partner who explains coverage in plain language and advocates for you during claims or board matters.

Call 947-274-3093 or Fill Out the Form
Ralph Schiller

Ralph specializes in sourcing the most suitable insurance for Midwives at the best price. You can call him or fill out the form and he will get your message directly.

Call 947-274-3093 or email submissions@homewood.insure.