When Robert E. Cantu, MD, suffered a stroke in September 2022, he didn’t expect his health insurance to become his next crisis. But when his insurer decided to leave the Texas market, the Austin psychiatrist was suddenly searching for a new plan that would cover the 11 medications he had to take following his stroke.
“My rep literally saved my life by obtaining my new health insurance,” Dr. Cantu said in a testimonial that lives on the TMAIT website. As he told Texas Medicine, the trust not only secured the coverage he needed but also helped him transition to Medigap insurance when he became Medicare-eligible in February and resolved a dispute involving nearly $6,000 in unpaid claims.
“It’s just been all positive,” Dr. Cantu said of his interactions with TMAIT. “They don’t leave me hanging.”
Though TMA’s more than 60,000 physician members come from different regions and practice different specialties, they make up a single, unified community, observes Lena Banks, TMA’s vice president of member experience and business intelligence. Those common needs inform TMAIT, Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT), and their approach to insurance.
“These are organizations established by physicians for physicians,” Ms. Banks said.
Certain TMA membership requirements must be met to obtain insurance from either trust. Both insurers work with Texas physicians and design plans specifically for them.
“Any kind of surplus premium that’s not used to pay physicians’ claims, we’re putting it right back into the association for the benefit of the membership,” said TMAIT Executive Director Guy Patterson.
That support includes funding for TMA’s Education Center allowing physicians to take free CME courses, sponsoring programming like TMA’s conferences, and supporting TMA’s sections. TMA member physicians entering their first year of practice in Texas – whether they have just completed residency or relocated to Texas – receive a welcome gift from TMAIT: a $250,000 life insurance policy at no charge for the first 12 months.
Beyond life insurance, TMAIT offers health insurance for physicians and their families, group employee benefits like health and dental insurance for physician practices, and short-term (including maternity benefits) and long-term disability insurance tailored to physicians. The disability coverage applies when a physician can’t work in their chosen specialty – such as a surgeon who suffers a hand injury.
TMLT, founded by TMA in 1979, provides medical liability insurance for association physicians. The trust joined TMA’s fight to deliver landmark medical tort reform in 2003 and was the first insurer to drop its rates following the game-changing legislation and voter-approved constitutional amendment.
While TMLT primarily focuses on medical liability suits, closing more than 48,000 claims in its history, it also covers physicians against board and federal actions such as HIPAA violation complaints.
“We want to be your partner, we want to support you, and we have the expertise,” said TMLT Vice President of Marketing Laura Brockman. “If you choose TMLT, you’ll have someone who will guide you through the process, if there is ever a claim or a board action.”
Beyond its medical liability work, TMLT offers a range of services to proactively manage risk, including practice reviews to identify risk exposures, cyber consulting to guard against cyber threats, and a confidential physician counseling program to promote wellness.
Phil West
Associate Editor
(512) 370-1394
phil.west[at]texmed[dot]org
Phil West is a writer and editor whose publications include the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin American-Statesman, and San Antonio Express-News. He earned a BA in journalism from the University of Washington and an MFA from the University of Texas at Austin’s James A. Michener Center for Writers. He lives in Austin with his wife, children, and a trio of free-spirited dogs.