Find insurance for nurses in Texas
Learn about nursing insurance requirements and the most common policies for healthcare professionals in Texas.
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What are the most common insurance policies for nurses in Texas?
Nurses may need different types of insurance depending on the work they do. These are the most popular insurance policies for Texas 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
Texas doesn’t require workers’ comp for most employers, unless they contract with government entities. 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
Texas 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 Texas?
Whether you're in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, or elsewhere in the state, nurses in Texas typically must carry the following types of insurance coverage to comply with laws and contracts:
General liability insurance
Nurses in Texas aren’t legally required to have general liability insurance, but if you sign a commercial lease for your clinic or office space, your landlord will probably require it.
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.
While general liability also covers advertising injuries, such as copyright infringement, it doesn’t cover defamation and invasion of privacy. These are considered a breach of duty in patient care and would be covered by malpractice insurance.
Professional liability / Medical malpractice insurance
Texas doesn’t mandate medical malpractice insurance, also known as professional liability insurance. However, nurses may need it as a condition of employment by many hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Even if your employer offers nursing malpractice insurance, it’s smart to purchase your own malpractice coverage, since most employer policies focus on their best interests. Having your own policy allows you to set coverage limits and provides peace of mind knowing your well-being would be protected if a case goes to court.
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 risk management strategy, 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
In Texas, most private employers aren’t required to provide workers’ compensation insurance, unless they contract with government agencies. However, if you don’t provide workers’ comp, you lose legal protection against most employee lawsuits, and you must notify the Texas Department of Insurance’s (TDI) Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC).
Sole proprietors should also consider workers’ comp coverage, as health insurance can deny claims for job-related injuries.
This policy provides:
- Medical bill coverage for work-related injuries and occupational diseases.
- Disability benefits to offset lost wages for Texas workers recovering from a job-related injury, such as a strained back caused by lifting a patient.
- Employer's liability insurance, which covers legal costs if an employee sues their employer over an injury.
Commercial auto insurance
Texas requires commercial auto insurance for nursing practices that have a vehicle they use primarily for business. This covers accident-related property damage and medical bills. Depending on your coverage options, a policy can also pay for vehicle theft, weather damage, and vandalism.
Texas’ minimum requirements for auto insurance are:
- $30,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $25,000 property damage liability per accident
If you use your own car or you rent or lease a vehicle for business travel, keep in mind that your personal auto insurance won't cover work-related driving. 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 Texas nurses?
Nurses in Texas who buy policies from Insureon pay an average of:
Malpractice insurance: $67 per month
Workers’ compensation: $32 per month
Business owner’s policy: $55 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 Texas?
Depending on your background and credentials, there are two paths to become a registered nurse (RN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN) in Texas.
License by examination
Recent graduates can get their license by examination following these steps:
- Complete an accredited nursing program
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX)
- Complete a criminal background check
- Pass the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam
- Apply for licensure through the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) website
License by endorsement
Nurses already licensed in another state can obtain a Texas license by endorsement through these steps:
- Verify your existing license on the Nursys® system
- Pass the Texas Nursing Jurisprudence Exam
- Complete a criminal background check
- Apply for licensure through the Texas BON website
Nurse practitioner (NP) license
Healthcare providers looking to obtain a nurse practitioner license in Texas must:
- Have Texas RN licensure
- Complete an approved post-graduate nursing program in their NP specialty
- Obtain national certification from an approved organization, such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
- Apply on the Texas BON website
To renew a nursing license, RNs, LPNs, and NPs must complete Texas’s continuing education requirements and apply for renewal through the Texas BON.
Failing to obtain the necessary license before performing work in Texas could mean considerable penalties, including fines, probation, and possible license suspension.
How do I get Texas nursing insurance?
Insureon helps Texas 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 Texas 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.