Insurance is a necessary evil in our culture today. You can't drive without it, in many cases you can't purchase a new home without it, and you generally can't afford the care you need without medical insurance. But most states also require medical malpractice insurance for doctors and other health professionals. The reason for that is that civil awards for medical malpractice suits can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, even millions. And increases in malpractice insurance in recent years have gone through the roof. In fact, some have tripled in the last few years, topping $200,000. Many doctors just can't afford to work anymore and they're retiring or, at least, moving their practices to states with caps on malpractice awards For the consumer, that means some states will be facing a dearth of qualified health care professionals, and that's a result no one wants to have to live with.