Pricing for workers compensation insurance continued to harden in California during the first half of 2013, according to a report published Wednesday by SNL Financial L.C.
California’s 10 largest workers compensation insurers by premium volume, which account for roughly 60% of the state’s marketplace, increased their rates an average of 4.3% during the first half of the year, based on filings for new business effective between Jan. 1 and July 1, according to SNL Financial’s report.
Excluding a 7% decrease filed in March by the State Compensation Insurance Fund, which is the state’s largest workers comp insurer, the average rate increase among California’s market leaders through July 1 was 5.9%. Within that group, the largest rate increases belonged to American International Group Inc. and Liberty Mutual Holding Co. Inc., which submitted rate hikes of 10.0% and 10.9%, respectively.
Statewide, rates for new workers compensation accounts were at their highest in February, when insurers in California filed average rate increases of 9.8% on $1.1 billion in premiums written, according to SNL Financial’s report.
At least 20 insurers in California included in SNL Financial’s analysis filed rate increases of 15% or more for new business in the first half of the year. Seven firms — including units of Liberty Mutual, CNA Financial Corp. and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. — filed rate increases of 20% or more, while units of Hanover Insurance Group Inc. and American Financial Group Inc. filed rate increases in excess of 30%.
Few decreased rates
Only a handful of companies included in SNL Financial’s analysis reported rate decreases in the first half of 2013. Among them was Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange, Church Mutual Insurance Co. and units of Nationwide and Utica National Insurance Group.
California’s workers comp market has been particularly bothersome for Tower Group International Ltd., SNL Financial said in the report.
Tower Group cited market conditions in California, where roughly 44% of the company’s workers compensation premiums are written, as one key driver behind the $326.7 million reserve charge it reported in its second-quarter earnings statement. Several of the company’s operating units in March were granted rate hikes of 6.2% for new business in California, and one unit — Preserver Insurance Co. — filed a rate increase of 17.1%.
If you wanted to, you could build a panic room for protection from robbers or kidnappers. But what about protecting your belongings when you’re not home? Perhaps you really don’t want to install an alarm system — or maybe you do. Either way, here are some no-cost and low-cost tricks to make your protection more complete, and help keep your belongings away from thieves.
Outside Areas:
Begin with the landscaping, which is the first thing a burglar sees and the first thing he will assess. To make it harder for a burglar to hide and gain entry:
Prune lower limbs from any big trees.
Trim bushes so a person could not use one for cover.
Move any decorative trellises away from windows or porch roofs so they cannot be climbed for second-floor access.
Consider planting thorny bushes below first-floor windows, and be sure they are close enough to the house so that an adult could not wedge behind one to jimmy a window without getting scratched.
Remove any trees or bushes beside exterior doors. They can hide a burglar from passing cars and they can also hide intruders from your sight when you answer the door.
Make sure all ladders and tools are secure inside the house, not inside a garden shed.
If your yard is dim at night, install the biggest, brightest lights you can afford for all entries to your house. Use them. Turn them on when you leave the house at night; set up motion detectors to turn them on when you are away.
Inside the Home:
Windows generally provide easier access for criminals than doors. Here are some window tactics:
Buy special window locks at your hardware store for all first-floor windows and any second-floor windows accessible from a porch or garage roof. DO NOT hang the keys on clever little hooks or nails beside the window. Crooks know that one and will simply break a pane and reach around until they find the key (but be sure the whole family knows where the keys are in case of emergency).
Don’t demonstrate the easiest window to enter by climbing in it. If a family member regularly forgets his or her key, consider leaving keys with a trustworthy neighbor for emergency use. DON’T CLIMB IN THE WINDOW EVER. Even amateur burglars can figure that one out, especially if they’ve seen you do it and figure the neighbors won’t notice.
For sliding windows, use the same techniques as for sliding doors, below.
Some burglars like to enter like a guest, through the door. Here are some ways to discourage that sort of burglar:
Make every entry door solid core wood or metal; hollow-core doors are easily kicked in. The door should fit the frame snugly, with no more than 1/8 inch between door and jamb. If the gap is larger, replace the door, or install a heavy-gauge metal strip available at the hardware store.
Replace doors with decorative glass windows or panels. If that’s too expensive, install break-resistant plastic panes, or install a decorative grille over the glass.
It’s unlikely, but if an entry door has hinges on the outside, rehang it with hinges inside. If that’s impossible, re-install it with pin-less hinges. Burglars can pop pins and take off the door to enter.
Make sure locks on all sliding glass doors are sturdy. Then use a solid stick of wood or broom handle in the track of the closed door.
It’s beginning to a look a lot like… 2013! As we are coming to a closing of 2012, with the New Year around the corner we are all thinking of a ” New Year’s Resolution.” It’s time to decide on your New Year’s Resolution! Your thoughts about insurance and the way you see it fitting into your life might be good candidates for change as well. Adequate insurance coverage in all aspects of your life is vital, and you can get that through understanding your current coverage and getting more where needed.
Protecting yourself and your family is important, so take the steps that are necessary to protect them by making sure that things are taken care of in case of emergencies. Things like increases in your income, increases in your expenses, new purchases, moving, or a new baby can all affect your lifestyle and your needs for all kinds of insurance. Your needs for homeowner’s insurance, car insurance, and personal insurance will all change over time, and the New Year is a good time to look at these things and make your changes!
“With 2013 just around the corner, a number of states are preparing to implement new insurance-related laws. Insurance Journal highlights some of the changes that will take place around the country.
CALIFORNIA
In 2013, the California workers’ compensation benefit delivery system will undergo regulatory changes as part of SB863, the Workers’ Compensation Reform Package, which was passed in the 2012 legislative session. SB863 is intended to reduce system costs as a set off for increased worker indemnity benefits.
SB 863 is designed to contain costs in several ways, while increasing permanent disability benefits for workers. Two prime goals the bill had in attempting to reduce costs were to change the way in which the system deals with permanent disability, and how medical liens and billing disputes are handled.
“SB863 is intended to reduce system costs as a set off for increased worker indemnity benefits, but overall projected savings are 1.4 percent. We believe that further savings must be found in the system,” Marjorie Berte, vice president of the American Insurance Association told Insurance Journal.
Specifically, SB 863: 1) Increases permanent disability (PD) benefits by about $740 million per year, with a two year phase-in, and removes future earning capacity for PD calculations; 2) Eliminates cost-driver sleep disorder, sexual dysfunction, and psychological add-ons; 3) Changes the medical fee schedule to Medicare-based RBRVS from the current official medical fee schedule; 4) Establishes fee schedules for ambulatory surgical centers, copy services and translators; 5) Eliminates double billing for implantable surgical hardware; 6) Removes medical decisions from workers’ compensation administrative judges; 7) Provides for an independent medical review process similar to that used in managed health care; 8) Streamlines medical provider network (MPN) process to encourage usage and going outside of MPNs, and simplifies the MPN approval process; and, 9) Imposes limitations on use of liens, and establishes lien filing fees.”
If you wanted to, you could build a panic room for protection from robbers or kidnappers. But what about protecting your belongings when you’re not home? Perhaps you really don’t want to install an alarm system — or maybe you do. Either way, here are some no-cost and low-cost tricks to make your protection more complete, and help keep your belongings away from thieves.