hough insurers, like doctors, blame consumer litigation, insurer mismanagement, not high malpractice awards, explains malpractice-premium spikes. A former federal insurance administrator who worked in the Ford administration and who is currently director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America in Washington cites figures showing that the standard economic cycle and what he calls "the business practices of the insurance industry," not malpractice litigation, explains why insurers periodically spike their rates (Hunter, 2002, p. 10). When the business cycle is running well, insurers benefit from the "float," or the ultrahigh return on premiums, and because they have a large reserve they feel no particular desire to adjust premiums to keep up with inflation. When the business cycle declines, it becomes nece
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