Malpractice Insurance Question on Employment Applications??

I am a new grad trying to find a job. One of the applications I have filled out asked if I had malpractice insurance. How do you answer that question???

It seems that it would be in my best interest that no one know that I have malpractice insurance; not the patients, not my employer, not even my wife. It would seem to me that if the employer knew that and something were to happen (whether your fault or not) that they would throw you under the bus in a heartbeat to dodge any responsibility that they might have in the matter.

Also, having been an HR guy in my past life, I believe the legality of the question is questionable. For instance, they can't ask on an employment application if you already have health insurance.

Has anyone seen this on an employment application? How did you handle it?

The only situation in which I've ever been asked that is on applications for the VA -- in their case, the application is worded so that they are assuming that you do have insurance, and they are asking you with which company you have liability insurance. I answered the question (yes, I do carry my own coverage, always) each time I've applied for a position at the VA. I don't really get the whole paranoia about being secretive about whether one has insurance or not. As far as letting an employer know, rest assured they will throw you under the bus if they can (to protect the facility) if the doo-doo hits the fan, entirely regardless of whether you have individual coverage or not (I've seen that happen to many other people when I was working as a hospital surveyor for my state).I have no information or opinion about the legality of potential employers asking. As I said, I have no real concerns about answering the question, so that's just not an issue for me.
Any other opinions??
The only applications I have ever seen this on are the ones from the VA. However, this has come up when I got hired. They told me to bring in a copy of the policy cover sheet for my folder. While I do not agree with this, I needed the jobs, so I have complied. I also agree with you about the legality of it. But I supposed they have their way around any legality question. I also agree with the previous post that they will throw you under the bus any way you look at it. To be quite frank, when I was involved in a suit, the first word out of the attorney's mouth was to ask me if I had my own insurance. When I answered yes, then I was told that they could stop representing me at any time during the proceedings. So yes, the bus is always coming down the road, and it is headed for you.
Quote from caliotter3The only applications I have ever seen this on are the ones from the VA. However, this has come up when I got hired. They told me to bring in a copy of the policy cover sheet for my folder. While I do not agree with this, I needed the jobs, so I have complied. I also agree with you about the legality of it. But I supposed they have their way around any legality question. I also agree with the previous post that they will throw you under the bus any way you look at it. To be quite frank, when I was involved in a suit, the first word out of the attorney's mouth was to ask me if I had my own insurance. When I answered yes, then I was told that they could stop representing me at any time during the proceedings. So yes, the bus is always coming down the road, and it is headed for you.