FAQ's
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Established Midwife
Policy Terminology
Who Needs Coverage?
Incidents
Answers
I hear there is a New to Practice Discount. Does it apply to
me?
- You are eligible for a 25% New to Practice Discount if you apply for JUA coverage within 1 year of
your first license date. This discount applies to the base rate, ie. the premium you pay for the first 12 births. Your premium
for births above 12 is calculated at the full rate.
Do
policies renew on my birthday? Or on Jan 1st?
- Unlike your midwifery license, your JUA malpractice policy renews on Jan 1st every year. Each policy
term is for a full calendar year, except your very first year if you start your policy after Jan 1st.
How do I estimate births? What if my estimate is too high or too low?
- In January each year, you will be asked how many births you actually did the previous year, and your
premiums will be recalculated. If you overpaid, a credit will be applied to the new policy term. If you underpaid, an invoice
will be sent for the extra owed. Some midwives prefer to overestimate so there are no big bills in January, others prefer
to underestimate to help with cash flow. It's entirely your choice.
If
my first policy starts mid-year, is it pro-rated?
- Yes, if you are planning to attend less than 12 births.
The pro-ration is calculated as the greater of number of births or number of days your policy is in effect. So, for example, if your policy will start Oct 1st and
you are planning to attend 6 births, you will pay approximately 1/2 of the base rate (based on births.) If you policy will start
Oct 1st and you will attend 1 birth, you will pay approximately 1/4 of the base rate (based on time.) If your policy will start Oct 1st but you
are planning to attend 20 births, you will pay the full premium. Email [email protected] with your
estimated start date and number of births and I'll happily provide an estimated cost.
I graduated in the fall, so my first policy is only for a
couple of months. Will the New to Practice Discount also apply next year?
- If your first year policy is for less than 6 months, then the New to Practice Discount is also applied to your second full year policy.
How much will my policy cost?
- The Rates page gives the full details on how your premium is calculated.
My policy is described as "Claims-Made". What does that mean?
- A "Claims-Made" policy provides coverage for incidents that happen after the policy retroactive
date and which are reported during the term of the policy. When you terminate coverage, you are not covered for any lawsuit
filed against anything that occurred during your policy term unless you either purchase a tail or reported the incidents to
the JUA during your policy term.
What is a Tail Coverage? How much is it?
- Tail coverage is an Optional Reporting Period Endorsement you may qualify for when you terminate your JUA coverage.
You must have a claims made policy in force with the JUA in order to qualify for Tail coverage.
Tail coverage provides coverage for any claims or lawsuits filed relating to incidents that occurred during your policy term,
even if you did not report those incidents at that time. It does not provide coverage for any new claims or lawsuits that arise
from incidents that occurred after the expiration date of your policy.
Tail coverage simply extends the time you have to report something that happened while your policy was in effect.
- To qualify for tail coverage, you must have a current JUA policy.
- Tail coverage is calculated as 150% of the premiums you paid during the final 12 months of your policy.
- Tail coverage is available at no cost to:
- 1. Your estate or beneficiary should you die during the current policy period.
- 2. You if you become totally and continually disabled for at least six months as a result of sickness or accidental bodily injury.
- 3. You if you retire from the practice of midwifery in the State of Washington and you were continually insured with the JUA for the 5 years immediately preceding retirement.
Is Intercare Insurance Services, Inc. my insurance carrier?
- No. Your policy is written by the JUA itself and always has been. Intercare Insurance Services, Inc. is the administrator of the program, a role previously performed by Midwifery Support Services, Washington Casualty and Physicians Insurance.
Which organizations are approved for peer review?
- The JUA requires proof of completion of peer review every two years. Peer Review must be through a WA State CQIP approved organization. The up to date list of approved organizations can be found here.
I'm
thinking of retiring so I'm
dramatically reducing my practice size. What options does the JUA
offer?
- For midwives who have been licensed
for 10 years or more and have had JUA coverage for 5 years or
more, you may qualify for the a Practice Reduction
Program. Click
here
for full details.
I'm taking some time off to have a baby/travel overseas/etc. Is there a sabbatical program?
- Yes, if you meet the following criteria:
- You have a minimum full-price policy (i.e. you catch between 0 and 12 babies during the year that you're taking a leave)
- You've been a policyholder for at least 1 year
- Your leave will be between 3 months and 12 months long
- You will do absolutely no midwifery care in Washington State during your leave
The exact savings depend on how many babies you catch and how much of the year you work. The period that you
are working is pro-rated based on the greater of the number of births and number of days, and the period of your leave is then
calculated as a pro-rated 33% of the full policy cost. Email me with your leave length and best estimate of number of births,
and I'll crunch the numbers.
You may be curious why this only applies to minimum policyholders. The reason is that
midwives who usually catch 50 babies already get a break if they take half the year off because they'll end up catching less
babies.
You may also wonder why sabbatical isn't totally free. It's all about tail coverage. The way liability insurance
works, you are only covered for incidents that happen while your policy is active. If you cancel your policy, you're no longer
covered unless you pay for tail, which costs 150% of your final year coverage. So when you're on sabbatical, it's like a
pseudo-cancellation, and the realities of insurance math mean there is a cost in the form of liability exposure for the JUA
if you expect to be covered for incidents occurring prior to your sabbatical.
I am hiring a birth assistant. Does the birth assistant need malpractice coverage?
We are bringing in a newly licensed midwife who will mostly be supervised initially. Does she need malpractice coverage?
- Anyone providing any unsupervised clinical care should have malpractice coverage.
- Birth assistants who are only employed to assist at births with the midwife present, and who do not do
any unsupervised prenatal or postpartum visits may not need malpractice coverage.
- New midwives being brought into the practice may well need malpractice coverage, since they are very
likely to do some amount of clinical care unsupervised.
Does the JUA offer Locum coverage?
- If a JUA policyholder hires a Locum who is NOT insured by the JUA, the Locum can be added to the policyholder's policy
as an additional insured at no cost, but only for the term of the locum which cannot exceed 30 days at a time per endorsement.
The 30 days can be consecutive or split up across several weeks or months. The Locum application form can be downloaded from the "Forms" tab.
If the covering midwife IS insured by the JUA, his/her own policy will provide coverage for the locum period and there is no need to complete the Locum application form.
Why should I bother reporting an incident?
- Reporting an incident serves two purposes. By talking with us about the incident, we can advise
you on what to do and not do. Your actions following an incident can influence the likelihood of an incident escalating to a
successful lawsuit. It also provides protection for you: by reporting an incident, you ensure that you are covered for
future claims on that incident even if you do not purchase a tail.
I should probably have reported an incident that happened last
year. Is it too late now?
- No. While your policy is active or a tail in place, it is never too late to report an incident.
What forms of payment are accepted?
- Checks, Cashier's Checks and Money Orders
- Debit/Credit Cards:
Processing Fees:
Debit Card-1.5% of premium payment
Credit Card- 2.4% of premium payment
Click here for Debit/Credit Card Payment Authorization Form
Where should I send payment?
- Checks, Cashier's Checks and Money Orders:
Please send payments to:
JUA, PO Box 1206, Spokane WA 99210-1206
- Debit/Credit and ACH/EFT Authorization Forms:
Please send authorization forms to:
JUA
Co Wendy Gordon Consulting LLC
PO Box 2393
Lynnwood, WA 98036
Or
Via Email to: [email protected]
To help us prevent errors and delays in processing your premium payments, please make sure that authorization forms are completed accurately and legibly.
Electronic signatures are not accepted. If an authorization form is received with an electronic signature, it will not be processed.
If you are set up with automatic credit card payments, please notify us right away if your credit card number, expiration date or CCV code changes.
When is my payment due?
- Payments are due upon receipt of a Policy Proposal, Audit Results Letter, Invoice or other official JUA document
unless otherwise specifically indicated. The JUA has no Grace Period for payments.
Will my coverage end if I don't pay in time?
- Coverage can be cancelled for non-payment of premiums.
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