Orac observes that insurance plans are getting less restrictive asking about malpractice lawsuits:

This insurance company, at least, only seems to care whether the physician applicant has lost or settled more than one big malpractice case in the last five years. It doesn’t even ask if you’ve settled for smaller cases. You can conclude one of two things here. Either the insurance company in question is lowering its standards (unlikely, given the lock they have on physician reimbursement in the area), or so many physicians are being sued and being forced to settle that the insurance company made a business decision that it has no choice but to accept physicians who have lost or settled one or more malpractice cases in five years, particularly in high risk specialties.

A sad commentary. (via Overlawyered)