Find insurance for nurses in Ohio
Learn about nursing insurance requirements and the most common policies for healthcare professionals in Ohio.
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What are the most common insurance policies for nurses in Ohio?
Nurses may need different types of insurance depending on the work they do. These are the most popular insurance policies for Ohio nurses, which protect against financial losses from accidents and lawsuits.
Professional liability / medical malpractice
Professional liability coverage, also called medical malpractice insurance, covers attorney's fees and other expenses if a patient sues a nurse for an error, such as an incorrect dosage.
- Oversights in care
- Documentation errors
- Failure to monitor a patient
Workers’ compensation insurance
Ohio requires workers’ comp for businesses with at least one employee. It also protects sole proprietors from work injury costs that health insurance might deny.
- Employee medical expenses
- Disability benefits
- Legal fees from employee injuries
Business owner’s policy
A business owner's policy, or BOP, is a cost-effective way for RNs, LPNs, and other kinds of nurses to buy general liability insurance and commercial property insurance together.
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Damaged patient property
- Business property damage and theft
General liability insurance
This policy helps pay for lawsuits from common accidents, such as a patient who slips during a wheelchair transfer and suffers a concussion. It's often required for a commercial lease.
- Patient bodily injuries
- Accidental damage to patient property
- Libel and other advertising injuries
Cyber insurance
This policy helps nurses pay costs associated with data breaches and cyberattacks. It can often be added to a business owner's policy or general liability policy for savings.
- Customer notification expenses
- Data breach lawsuits
- Fraud monitoring costs
Commercial auto insurance
Ohio law requires commercial auto insurance for vehicles owned by a nurse's practice. It helps cover the cost of an accident involving your business vehicle.
- Damage caused by your vehicle
- Medical bills from an auto accident
- Vehicle theft and vandalism
Which policies are required for nurses in Ohio?
General liability insurance
While nurses in Ohio aren’t legally required to have general liability insurance, your landlord will probably mandate it if you sign a commercial lease for your clinic or office space.
This policy covers costs related to:
- Bodily injury: Handles legal fees if a patient trips over a loose rug in your clinic and sprains their ankle.
- Property damage: Pays for damages if you accidentally sit on a patient's glasses and break them.
- Advertising injuries, such as copyright infringement.
Keep in mind, defamation and invasion of privacy are considered a breach of duty in patient care and would be covered by malpractice insurance rather than general liability.
Professional liability / Medical malpractice insurance
Medical malpractice insurance, also known as professional liability insurance, isn’t mandated for Ohio nurses, but many hospitals and healthcare facilities may require it for employment.
If your employer provides nursing malpractice insurance, you should still consider purchasing your own malpractice coverage as part of your risk management strategy. This is because an employer’s policy typically offers limited coverage and would focus on the employer’s interests if a case ended up in court. Having your own policy allows you to determine aggregate coverage limits and would make your well-being the priority.
A malpractice insurance policy includes:
- Legal defense costs related to mistakes, oversights, and other instances of professional negligence.
- Breaches of patient confidentiality, which includes invasion of privacy, such as if a patient sues you for posting their photo on social media without their permission.
As part of their malpractice coverage, nurses can secure coverage for specialized risks and malpractice claims such as:
- License defense coverage
- Biomedical defense coverage
- HIPAA defense coverage
- Sexual misconduct defense coverage
- Telemedicine coverage
- Nursing home, hospice, and home health coverage
Workers' compensation insurance
Ohio businesses that have one or more employees are legally required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance through the state fund. If you're a sole proprietor, you should also consider workers’ comp coverage, as health insurance can deny claims for job-related injuries.
Workers' comp provides:
- Medical bill coverage for work-related injuries and occupational diseases.
- Disability benefits to offset lost wages for Ohio workers recovering from a job-related injury, such as a strained back caused by lifting a patient.
Policies bought from the state fund don't include employer's liability insurance, which covers legal costs if an employee sues their employer over an injury. However, it's still available to purchase from private insurance carriers as stop gap coverage.
Commercial auto insurance
Nursing practices and medical facilities that use a vehicle for business in Ohio must carry commercial auto insurance. This policy covers property damage and medical bills resulting from an accident involving your business-owned vehicle. It can help pay for vehicle theft, weather damage, and vandalism, depending on the coverage options you choose.
Ohio’s minimum requirements for auto insurance are:
- $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Nurses who travel for work, such as driving to see patients in their homes, should know that personal auto insurance won't cover business-related driving. If you take your own car or you rent or lease a vehicle for work, you’ll need hired and non-owned auto insurance (HNOA), which can typically be added to your general liability policy as an endorsement.
How much does business insurance cost for Ohio nurses?
Nurses in Ohio who buy policies from Insureon pay an average of:
Malpractice insurance: $58 per month
Cyber insurance: $50 per month
Business owner’s policy: $50 per month
Several factors affect the cost of insurance for nurses, including:
- The professional services you provide
- Business property and equipment
- Business income and size
- Years of experience
- Policy limits and deductibles
- Claims history
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How do I become a licensed nurse in Ohio?
Depending on your background and experience, there are a few different ways to become a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN) in Ohio.
License by examination
Unlicensed nursing professionals in Ohio, such as recent graduates, can acquire a license by examination by following these steps:
- Graduate from an approved nursing education program
- Apply online through the Ohio Board of Nursing's (OBON) eLicense portal
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)
- Complete a criminal background check
License by endorsement
Nurses who are already licensed in another state can obtain an Ohio license by endorsement after completing these steps:
- Apply online through OBON’s eLicense portal
- Verify your current, active license
- Complete a criminal background check
Nurse practitioner (NP) licensure
Nursing professionals applying for their nurse practitioner license must meet the following requirements:
- Have an Ohio RN license
- Complete an approved graduate program in nursing with an NP specialty
- Obtain national certification from a certified organization
- Apply online through OBON’s eLicense portal
Once licensed, you’ll need to comply with Ohio’s continuing education requirements for healthcare providers to routinely renew your license.
Healthcare professionals who fail to obtain the necessary license before performing work in Ohio could face considerable penalties, including fines, probation, and possible license suspension.
How do I get Ohio nursing insurance?
Insureon helps Ohio nurses save time and money shopping for nursing liability insurance and other types of coverage by comparing quotes from top-rated U.S. insurance companies.
Our insurance agents are licensed in Ohio and can answer your questions as you consider coverage.
To speed up the application process, have this information handy:
- Workforce details, such as number of employees
- Current and projected revenue
- Business partnerships
- Desired coverage limits
- Claims history
- Insurance requirements of any leases or contracts
Apply for free insurance quotes today. We can work with you to identify and purchase the best insurance solutions for your nursing practice. Most small business owners receive a certificate of insurance the same day.