Delaware Business Insurance Update from CNC Insurance Associates: Delaware Work Comp, A Perfect Storm?

I have been scrambling to touch base with all my clients informing them about the proposed 40+ percent work comp rate hike in Delaware. In those conversations my clients are all asking the same fundemental question, "why"?  My belief is that a perfect storm has hit the Delaware work comp market. Back in 2007 the state passed a work comp reform bill that was to reduce medical costs. The problem has been there was no real way to assure that the doctors and hospitals would follow the fee schedules. Also the recession took a lot of workers out of the work force that have slowly been hired back. This is causing an uptick in claims. The rate roll back forced by the Chancery court in 2008, took to much premium out of the system, to fast. As claims costs rose and premiums fell, an unsustainable path was created that lead us to where we are today. Finally, the insurance companies have not been making as much profit in their investments. They are looking to increase rates across all lines of insurance to achieve better returns and profitability.  So Delaware business owners are now facing proposed higher rates due to this "perfect storm".  The problem here is that they can't afford it. The economy has not been stellar by any means and 40 percent is a whole lot of additional premium dollars for business owners to pay. I am not sure how this will end up. The November 2nd public hearing is fast approaching and I am sure there will be some debate on this rate increase. Until next time be careful out there and know your risks. K
G. Kevin Nemith, Business Insurance, Small Business Insurance Specialists, serving Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New Jersey.
www.cncinsurance.com
www.bizinsurancetv.org

Popular posts from this blog

Delaware Legislature Preparing To Revisit Dram Shop Liability

Here we go again. Representative Peterson is preparing to introduce limited dram shop liability for consideration. The legislation caps the liability at $250,000 but, as is usually the case, this creates a starting point where limits are eventually increased once it's decided by the powers that be that the current limit is too low. This also puts restaurants, bars, etc, at an increased risk due to the vague wording of the legislation, specifically "reckless" sale of alcohol by the business. Also, you can be sure that if this legislation is passed, that rates will go up commensurately for not only Liquor Liability coverage, but if actual damages begin to be paid out under this law, that insurance rates on the whole will see an increase.
Read more

Get employees back to work quickly to keep work comp costs down

Image
In the past I have spoken to clients regarding a particular workers compensation claim affecting them and have asked if they have brought the employee back to work yet. Too many times the answer is no, they have nothing for that employee to do since said employee is not 100% and unable to perform their specific job prior to their workers compensation injury/claim. The problem with this is that too often employers miss the point that even though an employee can't perform in the position they were in prior to their injury, it behooves the employer to create some type of alternative task/job the employee can do until such time they are able to resume their normal duties. Bringing that employee back to work means that work comp benefits /payments in that particular claim are being curtailed, thereby saving the employer potentially more being paid out, while adding to their experience mod and driving their overall work comp expenses up.
Read more

Important to notify insurance company of potential liability claims

Image
When trying to manage their insurance policies, many business owners make the decision not to turn in potential claims and decide to take care of them on their own. By paying for small claims, such as property damage, etc, they strive to keep claim frequency down and in turn keep renewal premiums down. One area of insurance they should not try to manage though is potential liability situations/claims. Most policy conditions require prompt notification of any potential liability claims to the insurance company and if a claim isn't turned in promptly, the policy language does note that the company can deny a claim due to late notification. It's important to do this early on since information/memories are still fresh and it gives the insurance company time to completely investigate the potential claim. The potential for a liability claim is most likely the small business owner's greatest area of risk, whether they operate a restaurant, cleaning service or any other busi...
Read more